Heart of Thorns
by zeecloud9
Summary: Hiei was the first to observe the change in Kurama. He had caught the quick glances that lasted a second too long, the fleeting thoughts no matter how quickly they passed through the Fox's mind... Hiei frowned at his revelation. The fox was smitten... And by the looks of it- he had it really bad... Kurama x Oc.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **Hiya, and welcome to** _ **Heart Of Thorns, a Kurama x Oc**_ **' fanfic. I've always wanted to write a Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic, but found it hard to start of because all of the characters are so complex with their own ways of speaking/answering, way of thinking, etc. This is my first Yu Yu fanfic, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prologue** :

Looking back now, I'd laugh if someone told me ahead of time all the things I'd have to go through. Things I would gain and lose- so many sacrifices that would end in disappointments…

…

… The falling petals of a cherry blossom tree. It's what started it all… _It's how I first met him._ The impossible boy with the mysterious eyes. That held so much knowledge and secrets…

Eyes that I could get lost in them forever…

 _A spin of an empty glass sprite bottle- Remi waited with bated breath._ She would never admit it, at least not aloud, but it was their last game-playing such a kid-ish game when they were starting High School tomorrow.

The bottle slowed down, and Remi couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips at just who it landed on. The already irked raven boy glared back, defiant. " **TRUTH OR DARE,** _ **BITCH.**_ " The boy's scowl got deeper. "Go on. We don't have all night."

"Who said I wanted to play?" Otoni countered.

"Why are you pussying out, horse face?" Saryl, their sassy redhead friend with messy curls quipped suddenly, bored eyes drooping slightly from her place beside them. A down pillow was under her; the hard wooded floor had become uncomfortable after a couple of hours having stayed in the same spot. "Its about to be 1 in the _**damn**_ morning, horse face, _hurry it up!_ "

"Saryl, calm down…" Remi muttered, although inwardly agreeing. The game had drawled out for too long- Missy, Cain, and Sam were huddled up in their sleeping bags, long since having fallen asleep. Besides the three playing the stupid game, Jackson quietly read his book on the other side of the room, uncaring to their game. With a huff, Saryl blowed a strand of curls blocking her view back.

"Well tomorrow's our first days of hell…"

"High school." Otoni corrected. " Don't tell me you're actually looking forward to tomorrow."

Saryl snorted. " _**FUCK**_ **no! How could I, when all of us are going to different schools. We even went as far as all picking the same first 4 choices…** "

Regardless of them all picking the same schools, no one had gotten in their first choice. Jackson, their nerd had managed to _flawlessly_ snag admission to Japan's best school nationwide…

Meiou Academy. The school for the budding geniuses and the gifted. Money _and_ talent wise. Although they all had picked Meiou as the 4th option ( _after all they were no Jackson's, and knew their chance of actually getting in were slim-more like_ _ **NEVER**_ _)_ one look at their dreadlock friend's gpa, and he had their school officials knocking on his doorstep, eager to snag another genius. Jackson was the luckiest of them all: he would be in a school surrounded by beautiful, smart people all the time. The _**BAS-**_ tard. Remi had to let out a sigh, dragging Otoni and Saryl back beside her, who had started making their way towards their beds.

"Uh uh, we're finishing this, it's your turn Otoni." Said boy only sighed.

"I already said I didn't want to play this stupid game-"

"- _oh for the love of_ \- okay! Let's change things up a bit, hm? Challenge it up a bit. A little challenge is good for ya, right?" Remi and Otoni exchanged wary looks. Saryl had apparently gotten fed up. Remi was the first to ask.

"Just what kind of a challenge are we talking about..?" Saryl's lips quirked up in a Cheshire's grin, and Otoni suddenly wished he had fallen asleep long ago like the others…

* * *

 **Next Morning:**

He could smell the strong musk scent of the cherry blossom trees behind his bench, relishing in the sweet smell of the morning dew lightly covering all the plants nearby. A smile curled Kurama's lips, eyes closing in content with the cool breeze- a temporary refuge against the blazing heat when the sun would shine in all its glory later on in the day.

All was quiet and serene, yet Kurama heard the nearly indiscernible whoosh of something lithe landing on the bench's arm rest next to him. He didn't even have to look to know who had just joined him in one of the rare moments of utter peace and relaxation. "Good morning Hiei."

The fire apparition didn't bother with a greeting, opting to observe him. His scowl deepened at the sight of Kurama's school bag and uniform. "Is it not tedious having to keep up the mortal farce, Kurama." Hiei quipped coldly, nose crinkling in distaste. "Thousands of years old, yet you're headed towards that institution who's reservoirs of knowledge is a child's play compared to yours." Kurama smiled slyly.

"Since it has been quite calm, I thought enjoying the scenery before school wouldn't be a problem. Is there something on your mind, Hiei?" Kurama asked, pertaining to Spirit World dealings. Hiei looked at him again, and Kurama instantly knew that was a no. It was peaceful for the most part. ' _Ever since Yusuke entrusted Enki into power.'_ "you must be bored beyond your mind, Hiei."

The fire demon only scoffed.

"Speaking of the Spirit Detective-" Kurama gave him a disapproving look, not liking how the Jagan user invaded his mind without permission. Hiei motioned his head down the street. As if on cue, Urameshi's loud ass voice was heard as a trash can was kicked into view. Another voice yelled back, and Kurama watched in amusement as Yusuke howled a string of curses, threatening to unleash a " _spirit gun up your asshole"_ to said other individual. Kurama laughed, glancing at Hiei who was looking the other way sternly, though a slight shake of the shoulders said otherwise.

Kuwabara swung at Urameshi, marginally missing his head and hitting a pole instead. " _ **NICE ONE, BLOCKHEAD.**_ _You were_ _ **24**_ _inches away from socking me in the head this time,_ _ **WAY**_ _to go!_ " Yusuke sniped, bawling. They were headed their way, yet Kuwabara was the first to take notice of the two demons spirit energy.

"Oh hey, Kurama!" Said demon smiled politely, getting up to greet the teen. A hand rubbed the back of his head.

"Good morning Kuwabara." The redhead mused, obvious to the fact that the large teen had omitted Hiei from the greeting. "You do know it isn't only me-" Kurama jumped a bit at the intensity of Kuwabara's complain, opting to take a step back. His ears were sensitive, due to Yoko, after all.

"- Why the hell would I greet shorty over there?!" Kuwabara pointed at the fire demon. Hiei scoffed throwing the idiot a icy glare.

"Ah, the puppy followed its master all the way out here?"

"!"

"Oh-hohoho!~" Yusuke snickered from beside Kurama. Kuwabara's face turned red, a crease digging deep between his brows.

" _Why you! ~_ _ **WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!**_ " Hiei smirked.

"Oh? Didn't you know? You're always trailing after the Spirit Detective, after all."

"The hell are you trying to say, shorty?!"

"Nothing important. Just that animals should be kept in leashes when taking them out for walks."

Much to Kurama's displeasure, people where staring to crowd over them, curious to see if whether an encounter between Hiei and Kuwabara would happen. Yusuke was already dispersing the crowd (rather rudely), and Kurama decided he would tend to the rose bush he planted near the park's small garden years back. The park had been one of his escapes to think in peace before the whole Dark Tournament fiasco. Kurama had planted some seeds in the nearly dead garden, tending to the soil with his own mix of herbs and such, so that the soil could support plant growth. A couple of years later, it had flourished into a 'plant utopia'.

The garden glistened in all its glory. Kurama let out a small smile, crouching down to caress a rose, feeling the contempt, and happiness from the plants around him. He could feel they were taken care of good, and recognized that they seem to know he was the reason for the majestic state. "You all have grown so beautifully…" Kurama praised, feeling the plants vibrate with joy at his words. The wind picked up, a cold breeze wafting across the garden. Kurama got up, pushing his bangs back. A sliver of light pink invaded his view, and the Fox demon delicately plucked a cherry blossom petal that had landed on his nose. "How odd." The redhead quipped, looking back at the cherry blossoms. "It's the middle of August…. Still too early for you to be shedding-"

"- _**ALL I KNOW IS THAT THE STUPID CHALLENGE SARYL MADE IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW THE HELL ARE ANY OF US GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT BY THE TIME SHE SAID?! UGH!**_ "

He raised a brow. The heavy tapping of chunk heels neared him, and Kurama could only side step who ever it was that was running into him, effectively surprising said person as they had realized too late the encounter, letting out a surprised yelp. They stumbled, but Kurama flawlessly caught the other before they face planted unto the floor… And his prized rose bush. Kurama watched as the girl steadied herself using his shoulders as a support, and nearly let out a laugh when she suddenly stiffened, realizing the situation. Her shot up, an appalled look crossing her face. Big, slate gray doe eyes peered back, framed by black bangs.

"Uhhhh…"

"Are you alright?"

"…."

"..?"

"….."

…

Kurama didn't even see her move to bolt as she was already down the path, already out of sight. ' _She's fast._ ' He raised a brow, confused at her response. "Did I frighten her somehow..?" Hiei appeared beside him, having been fed up by Kuwabara's antics.

"Hn." Hiei didn't say another word, disappearing in an instant. Kurama pondered on the strange encounter before making his way to Meiou, slipping the fallen cherry blossom tree into his front pocket. He paused though, looking back to catch the gleam of something shiny beside his shoe. A cellphone. Metallic green with a cartoon fox phone charm dangling from the side. Kurama gazed back towards the direction where the girl that had bumped into him earlier had bee lined to.

* * *

 **Remi's P.O.V. :**

 _Saryl had finally done it._ She'd thought of the one thing I wouldn't be able to do. I growled under my breath, not caring if people looked at me weird, or at how fast I was running. So what if my skirt was riding up? I'm wearing shorts under. Not like I'd wear it willingly. Stupid uniforms. "Goddam, not the best way to start off the first day of school, let alone high school!" Dammit all, I was now full blown yelling. It was all red's fault, the idiot. She just had to force Otoni and me into a ridiculous dare. She knew we wouldn't back out, using our pride against us. "Ugh, I don't stand a chance!"

The challenge seemed fairly simple. Whoever of the three could find a boyfriend/girlfriend first by the end of the year would have to be bossed around by the winner for the entire of next year. Sure, it sounded silly and childish, but I was _**NOT**_ going to pass up the opportunity at sweet revenge against ' _miss hermoine granger_ '/a.k.a Saryl and her crazy eternal bedhead, and " _Weasley_ "/my rather _affectionate_ name for Otoni. On top of trying to see who could snag a date first, we had all agreed that if one of us got kissed first before the of the year, the winner would get to pick where we would go for our big annual summer retreat. Which was very important to me.

… Last year, it had been Missy's turn, and let's just say it's not the most fun thing to do over the summer break having to pick up horse shit, and tend a farm. As much as I loved her folks- _honestly, they were the sweetest-_ I did _NOT_ want to spend it sharing sleeping quarters with Henry the shit eating horse. Or Larry the _fucking_ chicken. I shuddered.

I swear that damn chicken was plotting my death.

… That's why I was so determined to win. Besides shoving it in Saryl and Otoni's faces, I was gonna have to swallow my pride and set aside my tomboy streak. I would seduce a guy, didn't matter who, into dating me, and winning this damn bet. Even if it was the last thing I would do. At least… That's what I'm trying to convince myself of…

…

Welp, there goes my perseverance… "- _**ALL I KNOW IS THAT THE STUPID CHALLENGE SARYL MADE IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW THE HELL ARE ANY OF US GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT BY THE TIME SHE SAID?! UGH!**_ " I lied. There was no way I'd be able to seduce any guy, let alone a _fly._ I'm barely 5'3", wide shoulders, thick thighs, with small pouch of fat in my underbelly. My eyesight was as bad as a bat, so I had to wear these thick, black glasses that made my eyes look bigger than they actually were. While my hair is long and jet black, majority of the time it was in a poorly attempted braid with flyaway baby hairs protruding everywhere. Even Medusa was better looking than me. Might as well start suppressing future memories of cleaning Harry the horse's shit—

 _ **BUMP!**_

"?!" I felt my foot collide with something as my shoulders briefly crashed onto something tall. I yelled, feeling my self fall forward head first before I could stick my arms out defensively. Seconds before I'd essentially, and quite literally would eat dirt, I felt myself being pulled up to my feet, a small tug on my forearms. I hadn't even noticed I had a death grip on whatever I had latched on to potentially drag into the fall with me, until I heard a soft voice.

" _Are you alright?_ "

….

….

….

 _ **HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!**_

I FROZE. "…." I was too busy mentally freaking out that I hadn't noticed my eyes had betrayed me and were moving to glare at the person in front of me.

… Which only caused me to almost shriek in the poor guy's face. The handsome redhead who looked like one of those ' _overly-cliched-princes-right-out-of-an-obnoxious-ass-fairy-tail._ ' He looked like one too with that uniform he was wearing, which looked kinda familiar now that I-

- _wait a minute._ I frowned inwardly, although it probable looked really creepy from the redhead's perplexed stare.

His hand. My weird look intensified, and I booked it out of the park. ' _he had caught me by hand._ '

… Don't get me wrong, I didn't run away cuz I was embarrassed or some lame excuse like that. No. I ran away out of reflex. Seriously. Take the whole ' _survival of the fittest_ ', ' _fight or flight_ ' theory to truth. I ran because I felt the sudden fear creep up on me, my skin tingling from where pretty boy had grabbed my hand. His touch burned, like if the skin had been engulfed in fire. Whatever it was that caused me to run away from the guy, also left me with a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, and a strange urge to wanna throw up this morning's breakfast. An annoying hum was stuck in my ears, similar to static on a Tv. I hadn't even realized I had ran all the way to my new school, briefly bumping into a teacher standing at the gate. I looked back throwing a quick "Sorry!", passing by two boys rough housing and trash talking each other as I entered the school's auditorium for Freshman Orientation. The place was packed with giddy freshmen, which I rolled my eyes and took a seat at the front, trying to catch my breath. Apparently I had made it just in time for the same teacher I bumped into walked up unto the stage, everyone going quiet. I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable since I sensed this guy probably had a long ass speech. I got distracted though, midway through it, opting to try and flatten out my baby hairs. Something soft rested on one of them, and I pulled it to find a cherry blossom petal. "Huh, they're already starting to fall." I muttered to myself admiring the cherry blossom's vibrant color.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **As this is my first YuYu fanfic, feel free to provide some constructive criticism on the characters. It's been so long since I've last watched the show, so I'll have to revisit the series again to get a good feel on all the characters and be able to write them the best I can. Please be aware that I don't have a beta, so any mistakes, please don't blatantly point them out. I'm trying my best.**

 **By the way, I soon will be updating another fanfic I have on this site. That other story I consider to be a bigger priority, since I first started out 'Heart Of Thorns' as a sort of mini project to get rid of my writer's block for the other story, known as '** _ **Lost and Found**_ **'. I'll be updating it soon, so if you haven't read it, feel free to check out that D. Grayman fanfic.**

 **Ja ne! ~**


	2. Chapter 2 Some THings Can't Be Unseen

( **Remi's P.O.V. :** )

For a first day of school, the day had gone by pretty fast. My schedule was pretty easy to remember, since most of the classes were on the same floor across from each other.

Japanese History with a Mr. Iwamoto, Biology with a petite, wiry haired woman named Mrs. Mochida, gym with some creepy looking teacher I couldn't seem to remember his name, Art class with Ms. Takeda, a nice looking young teacher who seemed pretty cheerful, and my last class was- to my displeasure- Algebra with some dude named Gokuchi.

I sighed. I'm _reeally_ not looking forward to that class. It was pretty well known I wasn't the smartest when it came to the damn subject. I had barely managed to pass the State Exam last year, literally teetering on the line of being held back a year.

I rounded the corner to my locker, taking out the materials for the next half hour in hell, when I felt myself looming forward, something bumping against my ass from behind. " _ **What the-!**_ " Ignoring the now forming bump on my head ( _I had hit my forehead with the door of my locker_ ) I whipped around so fast, I could have sworn I had just given myself whiplash. " _ **YOU GOTTA BE SOME REAL KIND OF IDIOT FOR REALLY JUST TRYING TO COPE A FEEL, YOU PERV!**_ " People were staring now, whispers filling the tense air. I glared at the surprised guy with slick back hair probably held with gel. His eyes narrowed though, as my insult probably registered to him.

" _ **The HELL you going on about, you ugly bitch! Why would I try to cop a feel on your fat ass?!**_ " My eye twitched.

… _oh_ _ **HELL**_ _no…_ " **Listen you little dick wipe…** " _God help me, I was seconds away from committing mass genocide on this guy and anyone related to him._ " **Don't think even just for a second I'll let you off literally just touching my ass just now. Is that what you do for a quickie, huh? Touch people's asses? Cuz that's pretty sad, and I'd have you know it's unwanted, and frankly-** _ **you're not my type-**_ **-** "

"- _I WASN'T TRYING TO COP A FEEL, UGLY!_ " The guy literally screeched at me, grabbing me by the collar of my uniform. "Look, it was an honest mistake! I was running through the halls, and just happened to bump into ya- so my bad whatever! Don't go yelling out stuff that isn't true, idiot!" I frowned, pushing the guy. Wannabe punk!

"I don't give a shit, dick wipes!"

" _There you are you little punk! Thought you could run away this time, did you-_ Urameshi, what have you done this time?!" Both of us jumped at the sight of Mr. Iwamoto glowering, although it seemed to all be directed at the ass grabber. Urameshi, a.k.a ass grabber cursed under his breath, letting go of me and dashing off down the hall.

" _ **KISS MY ASS! ~**_ "

I watched in amusement Mr. Iwamoto's face turn a sizzling hot red, sputtering, and chasing down at him. Shaking my head, I made my way towards my next class, ignoring all the other students questionable, and guarded stares.

…

Just my luck. I managed to piss off what seemed like the school's delinquent.

* * *

Afterschool:

"So what happened after that?" Otoni asked offhandedly, as we walked towards Mick Fonalds fast food store. I had met up with him afterschool, well, actually, it was more of Otoni showing up at my school by the school's entrance without telling me. We were currently on our way for a long 'talk'. He was like my own personal confessional stand, listening to whatever and – _occasionally-_ providing useful insight and advice.

The whole situation seemed to have amused him, cuz the usually stingy raven had actually offered to buy me a meal. Probably a pity meal. But hey- it's free food.

I let out a huff, still angry about the situation. "Some teacher came and chased him down the school, I don't know. Seemed like ass grabber dude was running away from him or something before it all happened. But what a dick." Otoni didn't look at me, but I saw his lips quirk slightly.

"Maybe he was just admiring your latina….. _Ass_ ets." Glare.

"Funny joke. C'mon Otoni, this is Japan. The land of petite, pale skinned, slim girl lovers. Someone like me is considered fat here. Hell, I had trouble even finding my bra size…" Otoni laughed. "Their clothing goes up to a size 8- _that's considered obese!_ "

"It's nothing like America, true." I smirked knowingly. It wasn't a secret between us that Otoni favored thick girls. He was actually marginally disappointed when he found out Japan frowned on curvy girls, to his displeasure. They were like a rare gem among skinny, lanky bodies. We walked inside the store, picking a small booth at the very back facing a window before Otoni got up, already knowing what I'd order. He sent me a blank look, and I grinned as he went to order. A minute later, the raven came back with two trays, and two large soda floats.

"Thanks Otoni! ~" I quipped, digging into my food like a starving dog. I heard a few giggles, and Otoni frowned at some nearby group of girls from another school whispering among themselves and laughing, looking at us.

" _So gross ! ~_ "

" _Ugh, she's gonna eat all_ _ **that…**_ "

" _-He's obviously not her boyfriend, just look at her._ "

Otoni shot up, sending them an icy glare as he asked if they had a problem. The bitches got quiet, scurrying to get up and move. I sighed. I didn't care what those bitches said. I already knew the truth. Yeah, they're right about what they were whispering.

Otoni let out an annoyed scoff, sitting back down as he angrily slurped on his soda float. "Instead of being concerned about what you're eating, maybe they should eat a meal for themselves once in a while. _Unhealthy pile of bones._ " I couldn't help the laugh that erupted from me, spilling some of my own soda float.

""Thanks, Momma bear…" I whispered lowly to him, an inside joke between us from when we were kids. Otoni half-smiled this time, looking out the window sheepishly.

" _No probs, Poppa Bear._ " Otoni quipped, going quiet before speaking up. "… Don't let them get to you. You're fine the way you are."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just saying that cuz you like thick girls. Careful Otoni, don't fall for a Latina girl's ' _curvy ass_ ets'." Otoni's shoulders started shaking, and he gave me a playful shove on the shoulders.

"Weirdo. You're like a sister to me, that's gross." I shook my head.

"Says the guy who ' _Likes big butts and cannot lie_ '."

"You are so lame."

I stuck my tongue out. At the same time, Otoni's phone started going off, and he digged in his pockets to take out the sleek, silver device. "Hello?" I looked down at my nearly empty soda float, musing if I should just take some of Otoni's. But it was Strawberry Fanta flavored. Yuck. "-Yeah I'm with her right now, why?" My ears perked. "Okay. When. Where? Got it, we'll be there in a few." Otoni hanged up, looking at me. "That was Saryl. Apparently she started worrying after you wouldn't answer her texts. She's with Jackson, Cain and Missy right now at Meiou. The others are gonna come by later since their schools are pretty far." I raised a brow. Now that I think about it, I hadn't checked my phone, or even felt it vibrate. I doubt I had turned it off during school, so I reached into my school's skirt pocket, my hands grasping just the air. I paused, frowning. By both pockets, I was freaking out, frantically going through my book bag for my phone. Otoni raised a brow.

"Did you lose it or something?"

"! I-I don't know, I hadn't taken it out at school or anything!" crap, crap, crap!

"Maybe you just left it at home-"

"- No, I remember putting it in my pocket! Shit!" Otoni frowned.

"Nothing we can do about it now. We'll have to back track on our way to meet up with the others at Meiou." Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, not liking to be separated from my phone for long. I had numbers from friends and family from America on there. Emails from my crazy theater loving Lizzy, who I adored like a little sister. I wouldn't be able to contact them if I lost my phone. My mom had bothered me to get a Japanese number, but I refused, willing to pay extra with money saved up from a summer job to keep my number. With a last sigh, I followed Otoni to the train station to meet up with the rest.

* * *

 **Meetup with the gang; Meiou Academy:**

 **Saryl's loud ass voice was the first to greet us.**

"Bitch, do ya know how worried I got?!" The red head pouted, pulling me into a hug. "I thought something happened to you! Did you lose your phone or something?" I shrugged.

"Seems like it. How was the first day of school?" Missy was the one to answer first with a cheery laugh, followed by Cain's annoyed groan.

"It was awesome! ~" Missy's joyous southern accent rang out. She skipped towards me, arms wrapping themselves in a bear hug, and a kiss on the cheek. "The uniform is cute-" Missy twirled, showing it off. "- plus, they have a bunch of cool clubs and stuff. Sam's actually staying afterschool to check them all out. She said she might be able to stop by if she gets out early enough." I smiled, turning to Cain.

"What about you, Mr. Grinch." Cain had a sour look, but he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. Even though he was the youngest of us by a year, Cain's hair had started to gray by the end of elementary school. It was apparently something that ran in his family, cuz his younger sister was only four years old and she had been born with almost her entire head covered in gray and bright silver locks. "Hated it." Was all Cain provided.

"Where's Jackson?" Otoni asked, and Missy pointed back to Meiou's school entrance.

"He went back to get some things from his locker." After a couple of minutes, Jackson came up to us, offering each of us a nod.

"What up, resident genius." Jackson coughed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not a Dexter, Remi." He added, exasperated. "Did you guys eat something?"

Otoni and me nodded. "Yeah, actually. Sorry." Jackson shook his head.

"It's cool, lets head to Carls & Kobles to chill out or something."

"I wanna stop by the park. You know, the one with the swing set." I added. Every one nodded, Missy skipping ahead of us, leading the way. The streets were full of Meiou Academy students, and I couldn't help but frown at the girl's uniforms. Pink. Eww. I looked at the guys with disinterest, realizing they wore the same uniform as that red head from the park this morning.

…

… Duh! It looked familiar cuz Jackson has the same uniform too! That meant pretty boy went to Meiou. I almost hit myself… Great deduction skills, Sherlock. "Waa- I _really_ need to find my phone!" We were already a couple of streets away from Meiou, when a commotion across the street caught my attention. Puzzled, I squinted my eyes, just barely making out two figures huddled over something lumpy. "?" No one else had seemed to notice it, but I was almost tempted to head on over there to see what was going on. Which wasn't a good idea, but I had a tendency of being attracted to danger. Or somehow stumble right into it. One of the figures stretched its head up, and some kind of thick liquid dripped from its chin. "What the..?" Otoni had taken notice of my stare, and also looked across the street. His face suddenly looked dreadful, stiffening as he grabbed me by the hand.

"Don't." He warned me, pulling me back to walk with the rest, who still hadn't noticed. There were people walking by the two weird figures as if nothing, nothing a glance at their way. I looked back over Otoni's shoulders, trying to peek back at the the two figures. One of them had moved aside, and I could now clearly see exactly what the lump was…

 _Milky white eyes peered back in my direction, unfocused. She was probably in her late 40's, long brown hair strewn all over her face and matted dark. Her eyes were the only thing clearly visible, but that wasn't what had caused the air to get stuck in my throat._

 _ **HER HEAD WAS FACING TOWARDS MY DIRECTION, BUT HER NECK TWISTED INTO A COIL, HER BACK ODDLY PROTRUDING FORWARD IN A PRETZEL LIKE SHAPE.**_

It was like some kind of sick contortionism. She wore some kind of pretty dress, but I couldn't focus when the two figures plucked her head right off with a sickening _snap_. "F-fucking hell!" Otoni was running now, dragging me away. We didn't get to catch up to the gang, because I could feel myself black out. I struggled, feeling my limbs start to go weak.

I could've sworn I saw that ass grabber though dash towards the two weird figures who's back now seemed to warp and twitch, bodies elongating into sharp- _holy shit were those horns and wings protruding?!_ _ **"SPIRIT GUN!"**_ Some blue haired girl hovered over them suddenly, turning on some kind of grid like structure just as I saw a blinding light , and they suddenly disappeared. But I still felt it. It was like that light held some kind of physical energy or something. That light seemed to be from that ass grabber guy

I gripped Otoni's arms tightly, not bothering to try and hold my weight up… Just what the hell did I just see..? But I had finally passed out due to the shock, dammit all…


	3. Chapter 3 Enter The Fox

**A/N: Here's another chapter out! Omg, this is the longest chapter I've ever written! I tried so hard! *Sobs and gets a cookie from Kurama***

 **Kurama: "Nice job, Zee-chan.."**

 ***Remi reading the script for her part in this chapter* Remi: "The fuck?!** _ **Why the hell did you put me like some sort of swooning fan girl in this chapter?!**_ **" *proceeds to beat Author-san sensessly***

* * *

Dull gray eyes trailed after the obnoxious teen with slicked back hair, whose school uniform was the wrong color. Remi had been, in some ways, trailing: _stalking_ Sarayashiki's loud mouthed trouble maker.

Yusuke Urameshi.

It had been a almost a week since that when she might have potentially seen a Yakuza hit in broad daylight. _That_ or she really did need to get that Lasik eye surgery her mom is always pestering her about. Even if it did happen to be the Yakuza, that didn't explain the two figures' hazy appearance, and pointy things beginning to protrude all over their bodies. And let's not forget to mention the flying blue haired girl, and Yusuke appearing accompanied by a blinding light that disappeared once the girl pressed some weird beeper looking thing.

Remi watched as the teen kicked his locker open in frustration, taking note of all the half naked girl posters. Her nose crinkled in disgust, but she continued to watch him, a book in her hands. She was at the corner of the school's main double stairs, providing her a perfect view of her locker along with Yusuke's, which surprisingly was at the end of her row. Yusuke was muttering something, but she wasn't close enough to hear, which annoyed her. "Dammit." She clicked her tongue, quickly bringing up the book to her face when Yusuke looked her way. The idiot didn't notice, though, and just stormed off past her down the stairs.

She would let Yusuke have a few seconds ahead of her, before she started to trail after him. Her slow pace turned into a light jog- Yusuke had suddenly sped up his pace. ' _Did he notice I'm following him?_ ' Yusuke had turned a corner, and Remi almost would've done the same if it wasn't for the sudden scratchy lilt of someone else, mixed with Yusuke's voice stopping her in her tracks. Seriously?! Dammit, at this rate, she wouldn't be able to find out any info on Urameshi and that weird flying girl. Remi was convinced now that it had not been a dream or hallucination. She'd seen it, and Otoni seemed to want to deny it, so that was all the proof she needed to start stalking the guy.

… And she didn't care if such a thing was slightly- ok, _**REALLY**_ \- ILLEGAL. ' _Who the hell is that?_ ' The stranger's uniform was similar to Yusuke's, except a light sky blue color. He too had slicked back hair, but instead of it being completely pushed back, orange curls coiled at the very top, and had narrow squinted eyes. In all, it gave the guy a sort of 'tough guy look'.

"…"

… Briefly, Remi pondered on Yusuke's choice of friends...

"Oi, Urameshi. You've been pretty damn reckless squirt." Yusuke's eyes twitched in response. "What if Botan hadn't contained your Spirit Gun in time- _you could've seriously hurt a lot of innocent people! What the hell is your problem using_ _your Spirit Gun in the middle of the day?! What if someone with heightened sensitivity to Spiritual power noticed-_ "

" _ **Relax, MOM. Botan took care of it. 'Sides, those two fuck faces had it coming for killing off that girl in public. They were eating her off like a damn buffet- what did'ja want me to do, Kuwabara, let them off easy?**_ "

""What happened to that whole thing about not killing? Did you suddenly change your mind, cuz you were really against it ever since you became a Spirit Detective."

' _Interesting._ ' Remi found herself pressing closer to the wall. Their whole talk of Spirit Guns, spirit energy…. _**MURDER!**_ Oh my…

…. These guys were nuts!

But then, why did a part of Remi dread that she was actually wrong..? Her attention turned back to the two teens, who were now walking away.

"—Baby breath's probably gonna call us to Spirit World or something soon."

The guy named Kuwabara nodded solemnly, looking aside towards somewhere in the distance. "… Man, just when I thought I'd finally be able to relax, and spend more time with my precious Yukina…" Remi heard Yusuke laugh.

"Okay, lover boy. Careful- or Hiei might rip ya a new one."

"Hmpgh! I'd like to see the shorty try!" Remi walked the other way, thinking about their conversation.

"Maybe they're Bleach Role Players, or doing some kind of Cosplay skit for some dumb anime convention or something…That would explain their talk of spirit stuff…" While she did learn a bit more info, such as the name of the flying blue haired girl, she was still confused as to what exactly those… Those _things_ were that she saw. She wasn't going to find out trailing after Yusuke; his conversations weren't informative enough as he tended to speak cryptically about almost _everything._

"I gotta find out what's ass grabbers connection to all of this… "

"What are you doing."

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Remi jumped at the sight of Otoni next to her. "Ugggh- _dammit Otoni, don't DO_ _ **THAT!**_ "

Otoni ignored her retort, sending her a pointed glare. "Care to explain _why_ you were stalking that guy?" Remi opened her mouth to answer, but Otoni had already started again, cutting her off. ""And don't try to deny it. I was watching you the entire time, you creep. I've known you since we were in _**kindergarten**_. And I know he's not your type, so…"

"… Urameshi's hiding something." _'You're hiding something.'_ Remi had to bit back her tongue from saying it. "Every time I ask you about what happened about a week ago, you always change the subject or disprove it. I know what I saw, and I know you saw it too, but for some reason the other people who would walk by didn't seem to even flinch at the sight, almost as if they didn't see them at all! It doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes, or a genius like Jackson to realize there's some kind of conspiracy going on." Remi leaned toward him, chin held high in defiance.

"… And I'm going to find it out." Otoni sighed in defeat. When she was like this, you might as well be talking to a rock.

"Fine. So what's his name."

"? Yusuke Urameshi. He's the same guy we saw yell out 'Spirit' whatever and disappear with that flying girl."

"Is he in your class."

Remi frowned. What was this, a criminal interrogation? "… Yes." She answered stiffly, not fully answering him. "He is."

"… Hmn." Otoni pursed his lips, deep in thought. "… Not the ideal guy I'd see you having as a potential love interest- oh relax, and don't make that face, it was a joke."

"I saw no comedic value…"

Otoni rolled his eyes. "Hey, did you find your phone yet?"

The girl stiffened, getting teary eyed. "NO! My baby is still lost out there. What a cruel world."

"You said you hadn't taken it out during school at all, so there's a chance you might've dropped it before school. Maybe some police on patrol found it. There is a police booth near your school."

"Ugh, if only! I even stopped by the park to see if I had dropped it when I bumped into that dream guy—"

"Huh? Who?" Remi explained her accident with the pretty boy from Meiou… Excluding some details though. ( **A/N: LOL.** ). "Hey, maybe he picked up your phone. He probably doesn't want to go through it to be polite, which would explain why he hasn't called any of your contacts, and I doubt someone from Meiou would know your school."

" _Gee, thanks for making me feel better about my shitty school, Otoni._ "

"So what do I do, wait for pretty boy to bump into me again on the street or something? He might have given it to the police... The guy didn't strike me as a thief or anything. Kind of like a noble actually."

"Ok, so why don't we try to wait for ' _pretty boy_ ' tomorrow at Meiou?" Remi nodded.

"Okay. But I'm still mad at you for interrupting my covert spying." Otoni, rolled his eyes, briskly walking ahead of her.

"Sure thing. A covert spy in broad daylight- very believable. C'mon, let's get going, I want to finish off tonight's homework early since it's a Friday night."

"Today's Friday?! Man, how time flies on by…. Otoni, are we gonna do that sleepover thing with everyone that we always do?"

"Sorry Remi. Jackson's busy studying for an exam…" Her eyes widened. "I haven't heard from Cain, and Missy and Sam are busy with their school club. And Saryl's grounded."

Lol, of course she was. When Wasn't she… "Hmn. Well that blows. Oh well, guess its just you and me this week, Momma Bear." Remi joked, although she was a bit disappointed at everyone skipping out on their hangout. That's how friends grew apart.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing…"

She shook her head. "No, it's just that it's only been a week of school, and everyone's already started to get busy. Makes me kinda worried, that's all. But it'll be fine. We'll find time to all hangout sometime." Otoni was looking at her now, trying to read behind her smile. He knew her the best, so he had immediately noticed her mood chance, but thankfully didn't bring it up, opting to have the walk home to Remi's place in silence.

* * *

 **Currently, At Spirit World:**

"—And that makes #20034. Finally!" Koenma fell into the large heap of paperwork with exhaustion. There had been an influx of Human world visitation grants and work visa's due to Enki's strict regulations between the two worlds. Although such a thing had never been his priority, Koenma was now responsible for conducting background checks, and verification approvals to applicants before they could be granted access between the two worlds. "Ugh, my head huuuurts!"

Jorge hobbled in, much to Koenma's displeasure, carrying another huge pile of paperwork. The toddler wailed in complaint with a hissy fit. "Jorge, what's this?! I thought I was all done!"

"Sorry Koenma, sir." The ogre apologized sheepishly. "I forgot to come back to get these."

"Hmph! We'll _I'm_ certainly not doing it." Koenma Jr. outright declined, and Jorge nearly couldn't resist the urge to cry.

"… Yes sir. I… I'll get started right away…" Jorge's words had started out strong, but by the end of the sentence, he sounded like he was about to burst out crying. "Oh, uh Boss? A little while ago we got in contact with Hiei. He's on his way." Koenma Jr. no longer whined, chubby cheeks growing stiff at the mention.

"I see."

"… I've also gotten word from the Spirit Detective. He's been finding a couple of cases similar to that incident, were Low Class Poltergeists are killing off humans in broad daylight. The Spirit Detective left a message that he's also on his way. Apparently none of the apparitions he recently encountered had visa's to say in the Human World- oh…" Jorge quieted down at the creaking of the open door.

A cloaked figure slipped into the room, softly walking up towards them. "… _**I found the source of that strange spirit energy spike recorded in the Human World…**_ "

"…"

The figure handed Koenma a file. " _ **Much to my surprise, the culprit behind it is a weakening in the Spirit Barrier between the two worlds. It is unstable, and never in the same location, but I have managed to track it down on one occasion….**_ "

"This isn't good. While things have been relatively peaceful here ever since Enki's been in power, I'm afraid about what could happen if any of the higher class tiers of demons would find out about the weakness in the barrier. Yusuke only encountered those two Low Class Poltergeists, but who's to say demons won't get through?" Jorge gulped, not liking the heavy tone that made it feel like you would suffocate at any moment.

"I have also come across another pressing matter while investigating in the Human World… A human girl exhibits an abnormal leak of spirit energy, and it seems its directly interacting with the spirit barrier, causing it to create a big enough hole for spirit energy from our world to leak into theirs, and become attached to humans."

"Ah!"

"Koenma… Regular humans who would never have any ounce of spirit energy are suddenly carrying vast amounts of it. I don't know how many people are affected, or if any of them know, but it is only a matter of time before the situation becomes out of control for us."

"Thank you so much for your cooperation, Sayuri. I trust you've tracked down the whereabouts of the girl?"

Sayuri nodded, bowing down unto one knee. "What would you like me to do Koenma?"

"I'll have Yusuke and the gang summoned later on… I wish to speak to them more indepth about the matter. The most likely scenario is that the girl has no idea, and I don't want her becoming a target. For now, just observe her. If her spirit energy is able to have such effect on the barrier, it could spell doom for us if her spiritual energy is triggered. It would be like setting an explosion on an already ticking time bomb. We need to figure out how's she's able to have so much spirit energy, and why we haven't detected it until now."

"Perhaps she is like the Spirit Detective." Sayuri quipped softly. "He turned out to be of demon heritage. A Mazoku… Which has greatly increased his spiritual energy since it was Partially awoken. Though I didn't sense any within her, I did catch the scent of another demon on her."

Koenma rubbed his temples, suddenly looking years older. "Perhaps we're too late in trying to prevent her from being a target… Jorge."

The ogre stood up straight. "Y-yes, sir?" With a wave of his hands, Koenma ordered to have her file fetched.

"What's her name, Sayuri?"

"Remi Rosario. A foreigner. Her parents own a international company in New York. Upper middle class- they relocated in Japan for business purposes, as in expansion of their company in Japan. She is currently in the same school as the Spirit Detective."

"Alright. Keep me informed of any change or new info on our gaijin girl, Sayuri. That is all." Sayuri bowed again, disappearing in a mere second. Jorge returned with a small manila folder, a grim expression on his face.

"Bad news, sir. There's almost nothing on this girl on file!" _TWITCH._

" _ **WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NOTHING ON FILE?!**_ " Jorge flinched at the volume of his voice.

"… Besides some pretty basic information, there's nothing significant on her… Her parents own a business oversees-"

" _ **YEA, I KNOW THAT ALREADY, YOU NIMROD!**_ " He threw his binkie at his assistant. "…." Taking a deep breath, Koenma proceeded to calm down. "… Having nothing on file for her would be virtually impossible. It would mean that she was never born, or something like that. We have her basic information, which means at some time there _was_ a file on her, and I doubt it would be misplaced so conveniently… _The file was taken… Somebody didn't want us finding out about Miss Rosario._ "

* * *

 **(Later On: )**

Yusuke was the last to arrive at the Spirit World. Kuwabara had already been there, choosing to sit down on a chair- _albeit the wrong way-_ just waiting for Urameshi to get there, so he can tease him about being so late, but he dropped the subject when he noticed the serious scowl on the Spirit Detective's face.

"Where's that damn baby breath…I was right, Kuwabara. It looks like something big is going down."

Hiei, who had been perched atop of an indoor window perch, regarded the boy with a small nod.

"Good afternoon, Yusuke. Nice to see you after so long." Kurama greeted, seated next to Kuwabara at his right. Kuwabara, who now realized he had missed his opening to one up Urameshi with a retort, only breathed deep through his nose.

"Yo." Yusuke greeted everyone. "Ya guys know why baby breath called us here?"

Kurama offered a small smile. "Actually no. It appears none of us are aware."

"The baby decides to round us up like cattle- Hn." Hiei quipped icily, obviously not liking _not_ being told. The demon had been far into training, when he received the call from the communicator. "This had better be important."

" _I assure you, it is, Hiei._ " Enma Jr. appeared in his teenage form, surprising them a bit. They rarely saw that form, realizing whatever it was that Jr. Had to say, was pretty important. "Thank you all for coming under such short notice. I understand that it has been a while since we last had to call a meeting like this. Unfortunately, the peace between the three worlds is under threat again…" Kuwabara straightened up, finally sitting properly on his chair at Koenma's words.

"Is it a demon?"

"I don't care _who_ it is, I'll kick their ass." Yusuke stated matter of factly, muscles clenched. "… So what'cha waiting for- lay down the info. Who are we up against?"

Koenma watched the Spirit Detective with blank eyes, taking a seat atop his desk with a tense calm around him. "So far no one… But there is a serious situation in the Human World. I have intel that regular humans are somehow getting large amounts of spirit energy. It seems to be spreading from a single human girl who seems to have direct influence on this leaked spirit energy."

Kurama frowned, not liking what Koenma was suggesting. "Are you saying there is a hole in the barrier between this world and the Human World. Koenma, with all due respect…" Kurama's voice was tense. "… If that is the case- _it would mean that most likely there is also a hole in the barrier that separates the Demon World and Spirit World._ "

"That's correct. The barriers are inter connected together through a four layer chain seal that's about a thousand years old, give or take… It's a seal that cannot be duplicated, so if there is another hole, it's possible for demons to pass through from Spirit World, unto the Human World, and you already know what _will_ happen if it gets to that. Everyone- we're talking about regular humans suddenly having high spirit energies, and a leak in the barrier. Yusuke already encountered two Poltergeists that had killed a woman in plain sight, and Botan barely got there in time to ' _clean up_ '. _**And by the way, Yusuke, your use of your Spirit Gun was unnecessary and reckless-**_ " Said Spirit Detective had tuned him out at this point. Kuwabara, who had been quiet until now, assessing the information decided to join in.

"Hey, you mentioned some girl was the center of the hole in the barrier going all crazy. Who is it?"

"I have a feeling Yusuke knows." Koenma threw Yusuke a small look at his confusion. "This girl actually goes to your school. A Remi Rosario."

Yusuke snorted, looking at Koenma straight in the face. " **Who?** " Hiei scoffed, growing annoyed.

"What do you expect us to do about this? I don't like getting sidetracked."

Koenma sighed. "I was getting there, Hiei… The girl's name is Remi Rosario, she goes to Yusuke's school- a freshman. Surely you've seen her at school, Yusuke." Koenma said, taking out the small manila file. The page was open to her picture, and it took Urameshi a couple of seconds before recognition flashed in his eyes.

" _It's that bitch!_ "

Kurama raised a brow.

"…" Koenma sighed again. "She's a foreigner from America. Her basic information is listed in the file, but we're actually missing a lot of her info. It seems it was stolen from the records, no one has access to them except, me, Jorge, and Botan." Kuwabara was now looking at Remi's picture.

"You'd think for a gaijin, she'd be real pretty looking."

" _she look like a NEET._ "

Kurama cleared his throat. "Are you going to send one of us to spy on her." Koenma shook his head.

"I already have one of my agents doing that. What I want you three to do is to find where the location of the weakness in the barrier is here in my world, and guard it from any one or _things_ from entering or escaping.. For that particular mission, I want Kuwabara and Hiei. Kuwabara is the most spiritually attuned out of you three, and is able to pick up the most sensitive energy traces… Yusuke, Kurama—I want you two to be my ears and eyes in the Human World. You two will get as close to miss Rosario as you possibly can. Befriend her if you must, but I'll have you working closely with a very valued agent of mine's who's assigned to observe miss Rosario's every movements and interactions. There's suspicion that a demon might have already caught onto the situation, and may have figured out her direct influence on the weakness in the barrier, and may try to use her. Yusuke, Kurama... your main mission is to keep miss Rosario safe. From herself, or any demons or apparitions."

"Wat'cha mean from herself? She suicidal or something."

"No Yusuke, I believe what Koenma is trying to say is that her Spirit energy is unstable. Spirit energy- if strong enough- is able to have physical form. Much like your Spirit Gun, and similar to Karasu's power. Miss Rosario would be a ticking bomb of mass spiritual power if it were to get out of control…" During their talk, Kurama had obtained the file, and his eyes widened slightly.

"That's not good." Kuwabara mumbled under his breath. "I don't think we'd be able to handle another Karasu on our hands… Alright, when do shorty and me head out to search for the barrier hole thingy?"

"… Spirit World is a large place. My best guess is to start in a place with many apparitions. They tend to all gather together in areas of large spirit energy quantity, like leeches."

"Now that you have given your life's speech, I'll be taking my leave." Hiei quipped coldly, not waiting for a confirmation before teleporting out. Kuwabara yelled, running to where the fire demon had been standing.

" _That damn shorty- hey! We're supposed to be working together! Ugh, I'm going home first to pack._ " Koenma called forth Botan from a portal, who seemed very surprised at everyone being there.

"Wow, it's been so long! Hi everyone! I'd say I'd miss you all, but I only really get to see you guys when bad things happen, hahaha!" She covered a kimono clad arm over her mouth, pink eyes inkling with mirth. "But really, it is good to see you- ah, where's Hiei?"

"The damn shorty left when we're supposed to be on a mission together!"

"Oh, well that's too bad. I'm guessing you all need a portal back into the Human World. One portal coming right up! ~" A portal soon appeared next to her, and the three stepped in, walking out of it in front of Yusuke's school.

"Oi, I didn't go to school today, why the hell did you take us here?" Kurama observed the building, taking note of all the details for future use. It had only occurred to him, from a few passing by girls, that he had recognized their uniforms. He hadn't known the boy's uniform, since the Spirit Detective never wore the correct one.

Botan 'ooed' at the girl's uniform. "Maybe I should ask Koenma to let me stay for a bit. I almost forgot how utterly a- _do-_ rable the uniforms were!" Yusuke yelled at her.

"Oi! Why are we here, Botan!"

"I dunno, ask Koenma sir, he's the one who told me to open the portal here." Botan said simply before ignoring him again.

"C'mon, let's get out of here before some stupid teacher tries to berate me from not going to school today." Yusuke had already started walking away, but was stopped by Kurama gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He threw his friend a glance over the shoulder, before turning to face him fully. "What?"

"Perhaps we should take this opportunity to approach miss Rosario."

"Yeh- and how're we gonna do that, Kur— _Shuuichi._ " Yusuke recovered poorly, sending an apologetic look to the redhead from the little slip up. Kurama simply shook his head with a small smile.

"It's fine. It seems fate has an ironic way of doing things. I was planning on waiting for miss Rosario after school today." Yusuke raised a brow.

"You know her?"

"Not quite. During the first day of school, we had bumped into each other after you and Kuwabara had left. She had dropped her cell, and at that time I didn't know what school she was from to try and return it to her. I was just about to hand it over to a police officer, when I remembered Keiko wearing a similar uniform. Our meeting today confirms that she goes to your school. I can use the excuse of returning her phone, offering some sort of an apology for not returning it back to her sooner… Miss Rosario does not need to be informed of the situation." Kurama took out the shiny green phone, showing him. "Cute, is it not?" The fox joked, placing it back in his pocket securely. Botan nodded.

"Ugh, girls and their phone charms." Yusuke muttered, although he almost laughed at the little plushie fox charm. How ironic. That, and she hadn't struck him as the kind of girl to be into that kind of girly stuff… But then again, Keiko's ' _miss goody two shoes_ ' appearance fooled anyone from her violent personality.

… Long story short, don't judge a book by its cover.

"So let's find the bitch already."

"Yusuke, it's not polite to call people derogative words." Kurama said, a bit taken aback by the Spirit Detective's negativity towards the girl they were now supposed to be watching over.

"Ugh, you don't understand K- Shuuichi! I accidentally bumped into her from behind, and now she thinks I was _purposefully_ trying to cop a feel! It's like ' _Sorry hun', I'm not into foreigners!_ '-" Kurama stopped listening though. Something else had caught his attention. His green eyes narrowed at the incredible amount of spirit energy he suddenly felt spike out from her. Confirming it, Remi Rosario walked right into view. ' _ **Koenma didn't exaggerate… That's a lot of spiritual energy for just one normal human girl**_ _. There's just so much of it, I'm surprised she managed to stay undetected for so long whilst her spiritual energy is so out in the open like that. She could attract some very ill intentioned demons or apparitions…_ '

"Oh my…" Botan started to say, but the words died out. The trio had been watching the school's main entrance from two blocks away. Amidst a sea of perfect straight hair and petite bodies, the girl wasn't hard to miss. Without another word, Kurama approached the school.

* * *

Remi was completely oblivious to being watched. She had been trying to weave through the seemingly endless hordes of her classmates. It had been a horrible day. Remi had forgotten to study for her mock algebra exam, and she knew she had done bad. Like hell she was gonna show her parents, who were annoyingly up to date with school related stuff thanks to the damn school's PTA meetings, and their app. A soft breeze blew her already messy hair into her face.

Remi had opted for a low ponytail, or at least a crude attempt at it. Curse Japanese beauty stores for not selling ethnic curl sprays, or hair gel. Her hair was getting _waaay_ out of control. "… Gotta ask ass grabber guy were he gets his gel…" She quipped without realizing.

Today was one of those days were she would be stuck doing nothing at home, since Otoni wasn't waiting for her outside the school gates, and everyone else was busy with hell. Err, _school._ Her art teacher had called in sick, so the school staff, short of an art substitute, had turned the class period into study hall, much to her displeasure.

"— _Miss?_ "

"Hm?" Remi looked to see who had spoken, but couldn't see anyone besides he classmates leaving with their little cliques. She dismissed the voice, not wanting it to be the start of her going crazy or something… Her brother had always quipped that as long as you didn't answer back to the voices and got a reply back, you weren't deemed crazy…

"Excuse me, miss?"

… Well, apparently she _hadn't_ been hearing voices. Someone had actually been trying to call her. Looking to her right, her eyes nearly seemed to want to jump right out of her sockets at the sight of pretty boy walking next to her.

" _ **HOLY SHI**_ _-_ u-uh, I-I mean… yeah?" Remi failed miserably at speaking, losing her cool. What the hell was someone from Meiou doing at _Shitty-_ yashiki?! "Can I… Help. You?"

Kurama gave her a pleasant smile, ignoring all the surrounding girls take notice, and start to fawn. He still walked alongside her, although at a comfortable distance. "I believe we met a couple of weeks ago at Shizuru Park?" Remi flinched, and Kurama almost couldn't resist to frown. Was the distance he put between them too little? Perhaps she didn't feel comfortable with being spoken to so directly… "My apologies, I don't mean to be so brazen…" Kurama bowed his head slightly. They had walked quite a few blocks away from the school now. "After your rather… _sudden_ departure, I noticed a phone with a fox charm…" Kurama trailed off purposefully, giving the girl enough time to absorb his words and realize his implication.

"Oh my god, is it a green flip phone. Real shiny, metallic?!" Her words were so rushed together, but Kurama had understood. He let out a small chuckle, taking out said phone. Remi let out a shriek of joy, grabbing her phone and cradling it affectionately. " _My baby!_ " She cried out.

Kurama watched with amusement at her unexpected reaction. "I'm glad I was able to return your _baby_ back to you, then…" At the sound of Kurama's voice, Remi had stopped her antics, cheeks starting to dust a fair pink.

"Um, t-thanks a lot. You don't understand how important this is to me." The foreigner gave him a deep bow in respect, a firm line set on her lips. It was only noticing the relieved sparkle in her eyes that Kurama could comprehend just a little of what Remi was trying to imply.

"I can understand. I'm glad I was able to return it back to you. I detest the idea of going through another person's personal possession, so I had no way on how I would be able to find you to return it back. But I remembered an acquaintance of mine wears your school's uniform as well, so I figured it was best to try and wait after school to see if I could find you… I wanted to personally apologize for not returning it to you sooner, miss..?" Remi blushed again, but this time out of embarrassment of the situation.

"… Remi Rosario." Out of instinct, she stuck out her hand for a shake. Kurama took the gesture with ease, his soft warm one meeting hers just a second after.

… There it was again… That same feeling of fear she had felt when he had caught her from falling.

"What a beautiful name. If I'm not mistaken, Rosario is Spanish for the English translation of 'Rosary'?" The redhead asked, waiting patiently for her shocked reply. They had long since stopped walking.

"Um, yeah, actually. I didn't know Japan had Spanish classes in their school curriculum." Kurama shook his head.

"No, it's actually something I study in my free time. My name is Shuuichi Minamino by the way." Kurama looked away, feigning the look of a bashful person about to say something they deemed embarrassing. "Miss Rosario-san…" He could feel her eyes on him. "If it's alright for me to offer, I'd like to offer you a formal apology for not returning you phone sooner. If you'd let me, I'd like to treat you to some delicious sweets at my favorite Café. I promise you their snacks and coffee are the best in Japan."

"…"

…

….. Remi almost felt like fainting. God, what kind of cruel joke is this, sending her this opportunity with a handsome guy?! She inwardly smirked. Hehehe, maybe she _did_ had a shot at winning the bet with Otoni and Saryl after all… "Sure, why not? You rescued my _baby,_ I'm in your debt, Minamino. Oh, s-sorry! Minamino-san! I forget the honorifics sometimes."

"It's fine, just call me Shuuichi. There's no need to be so formal to everyone. I'm fine without the honorifics, really. It's a tad bit old school." Remi laughed.

"Yeah." Kurama gave her a little grin, offering his arm politely.

"The café is in a crowded part, near the city, not too far away from here. I hope you don't mind- it's quite easy to get lost."

"Eh? Oh, um, yeah, it's no problem. Just a little shocked though. Guys aren't so polite and gentlemanly back in the States. I'm still getting used to Japanese culture." Kurama nodded, leading the way.

…

After a couple of minutes walking downtown, the had arrived at a small, cute looking café. Kurama opened the door before Remi could even get near it, to which the girl thanked him with a shaky voice, entering and immediately scoping out a secluded table at the very back of the café. Without asking, Kurama led her there, pulling out her seat for her before taking his own. A waiter shortly arrived to them with two menus in hand, glancing inconspicuously between the two. "Welcome to The Heart of Thorns Café. Would you like to start of with our introductory course before deciding on a main menu?' Kurama shook his head, sending the waiter a polite smile.

"Actually I would like to order the rose and lavender tea with scones and macaroon set for me, please. Rosario-san, what would you like?" Kurama looked over at her, who had been nose deep into the menu.

"… This one…" Remi pointed to an option. The waiter, who had been looking over her disheveled demeanor and trying to figure out why someone with good looks as the redhead would be seen out with an ugly foreigner, cleared his throat to hide his blatant staring, opting for a standard smile he gave all of his customers.

"Ah, excellent choice, miss. Our House special. Spinach and Havarti cheese panini grilled in peanut oil and complimented with a brew of Brown Rice Tea." Remi let out a gasp.

"Whoah, actually forget that. Heheh, I dodged a bullet there. I'm allergic to peanuts…Uh, I'll have what he's having then." Kurama watched her quietly. He had noted she hey eyes hadn't followed down the page, only feigning the movement as if she were reading the menu. On top of that, she had picked an item she was allergic to, and seemed very embarrassed. Kurama was about to voice out his revelation, an automatic habit he'd developed being team Urameshi's impromptu strategist during the Dark Tournament times. Now was not the time, though. He would bring it up later, perhaps as another means of soliciting another reason to and complete his mission?

"That would have been quite the danger, Rosario-san." Was all he quipped before the conversation fell silent between the two. Remi only looked out the window, suddenly wondering why the hell she had agreed to Shuuichi's offer. People were staring. Damn her resistance to saying no to free food…

"… I'm bad at Kanji…" She suddenly confessed quietly, still not looking at him. "… Which is pretty bad since like, it's _majority_ of the signs, menus, etc. I've tried getting a tutor, but to no use. It's friggin hard. I'm getting to the part where I start getting exams soon, so It'll be hell if I don' know even _basic_ kanji by then."

"I can help you. If you would like, Rosario-san."

"Shuuichi, no offense, but you don't need to pity party me. You've already rescued my social life-" she pointed to the phone on the table in front of her. "- and you've been nothing but nice and gentlemanly to me. That'd be asking for _waaay_ too much! I don't wanna mooch off your kindness, Shuuichi."

Kurama only waved his hand, dismissing it. "Nonsense. I think it would be a good opportunity for you to learn Kanji from a native. As a condition though, I'd like to ask you to teach me conversational Spanish, and writing. I'd much rather learn from a native speaker than Rosetta Stone." Kurama joked, earning a loud laugh from Remi. The waiter had arrived with their food. "Thank you."

Haha, well, when you put it that way, I guess that's not like me taking advantage of your niceness. You got a deal, Minamino."

"Perfect. Let's exchange numbers." Shuuichi took out a slim matte white phone. Remi's eyes trailed over to the super cute charm of a chibi him and some woman. Kurama noted her stare, and offered with light mirth, and explanation.

"A gift from my mother."

"Oh." Reaching for her cell, Remi watched with her stomach seemingly doing summer saults as Mr. Sexy leaned over the table, lightly pressing his phone against the back of hers. Shuuichi's hair was soft, Remi noted, as strands of his bangs tickled her nose. ' _Ah, he smells like sage. Wait, what the hell? Jeezus, just how LONG are his eyelashes…?! Someone needs to be signed to a Maybelline commercial..._ ' She had to remind herself the table was wide enough that they had to slightly lean over it to exchange numbers, hence their closeness. Their screens lit up in unison after 5 seconds. A bell signaled the exchange over, and Remi let out a sigh of relief when they both pulled back to their original seating. The rest of their meal was filled with the occasional small chat, and Kurama explaining her the fundamentals of Kanji, as well as setting a date to their first tutoring session.

* * *

By the time Remi got back home, her brother was already there, headphones on, and jamming to some heavy metal as he dismissed her flipping the bird at him, sending her one of his own. Once in her room, Remi opened her cell, and sure enough, there was a new contact message on her home screen. And a text. **_Shuuichi Minamino_** read in small bold black letters.


	4. Chapter 4 Strange Reads

**A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed your holidays!**

* * *

' _I enjoyed our time together. Friday will be your first tutoring lesson. Will you be available to meet up before then?'_

…

…

Holy shit.

"—okay..?" Some unimportant classmate of hers had muttered under their breath, avoiding contact with the currently dazed teen strolling down the school's halls like a zombie.

…

… ' _ **Will you be available to meet up before then?**_ '

Shuuichi's texts had not left her mind ever since she read it. And kept rereading it.

… And wondering if the gods somehow were playing some kind of cruel, sick joke on her. Pressing almost all of the keyboards on her precious phone, Remi had managed to sent a somewhat legible reply back to the redhead over the week, getting a phone call from him an hour later. He was going to pick her up from school today. As in Shuuichi was going to be waiting for her outside of Shitty-yashiki- _err_ , **Sara** yashiki. During their time at the café, Remi had mentioned some places in Akihabara and Shinjuku that she really wanted to visit, and Shuuichi had offered to tour her around, familiar with the area. Well, She was regretting it now.

' _ **No doubt the bitchy girls at school will go crazy when they see Shuuichi, and then try some dumb ass bully tactics…**_ **'** Remi sighed. It would be like her 5th grade incident all over again. When the girls at her school found out she was neighbors with Otoni- who was dubbed as the ' _Hottest, most popular guy at school_ ', they had put wads of bubble gum all over her knee length hair. After that- _and a forced haircut-_ she had gotten odd short strands of little baby hairs that seemed to grow at a slower pace than the rest of her hair. Girls could literally take ' _All's fair in the game of love and war_ ' way too far…

"Hey."

Remi's ears perked up, looking back towards the rough voice "? Ah-! _What the hell do_ _ **YOU**_ _want?!_ " Yusuke's owlish dark brown orbs peered back, defiant. His off color uniform had little scuff marks on it. "You look like shit." Yusuke scowled, almost regretting acknowledging her.

"You should see the other guy." He heard the short girl let out an unamused scoff, before he continued on. "Let's talk-"

"-if this is some sort of love confession-"

" _Hell, no, just hear me out, will'ja?!"_ Remi sighed, but followed him regardless.

"… Make this quick."

* * *

He had led her to a unfrequented spot behind the school, away from anyone's prying eyes, Remi noted. Whatever it was ass grabber was planning on dropping on her, either he didn't want other people overhearing, or him get pegged for 'bullying'. He stopped, finally turning to her as he mumbled something under his breath.

"? What was that?"

"… I said I'm sorry…"

"…"

"( **õ-õ|** "

"\ -_-)"

…

"|/*n*)/ ?!" Yusuke suddenly yelled out. Glaring her down. "Look, I'm apologizing for being such an ass that day when we first met, okay?! Just take the damn apology!"

" _NO_! _**Fuck you!**_ "

"Fuck you!"

"You'd probably like that, eh, pervert."

"!" Yusuke drew back, looking like he had gotten whiplashed right in the face. " **EEEEEEEAAAARRRRRGH!** "

"If you don't mind, ass grabber, I have places to be. See ya."

Remi could hear Yusuke's loud strings of foul mouthed words being thrown her way, but was a bit surprised Yusuke didn't follow her. Heck, she was surprised herself. Where had _that_ come from? Urameshi suddenly apologizing for bumping into her when they first met? Could today be any weirder…

She hadn't even had a chance to stop by her locker, but whatever. She'd just have to pretend not to exist when Mr. Iwamoto would collect homework tomorrow. He had been keeping a watchful eye on her, ever since that day he chased down Urameshi when they first met.

The school gates were in sight now, and her breath nearly caught in her throat at the sight of Shuuichi waiting calmly for her near the gates stone column, looking deep in thought as he read a book. His hair flowed along with the slight breeze, never getting in his face once.

… He looked majestic as fuck.

His eyes left the book when he noticed her approaching him, and with a friendly smile, he greeted her. "I hope I'm not being a bother by asking you to meet with me today, Remi."

' _God, why aren't guys my age in New York like this…_ ' " _ **Psst, It's cool Shuuichi.**_ Sorry if you waited for me long. I got held up by some- _ **THING**_." Shuuichi only smiled, stating that he didn't wait long at all. Their walk was just as Remi had predicted- the girls from her school were flabbergasted at the sight of Shuuichi, their faces doing that typical fan girl expression, then twisting into confusion, and lastly a jealous scowl when they noticed her company. Tomorrow would be hell, but it was a small sacrifice. This was all for the sake of the bet. It's not like another opportunity like this would pop up, after all.

* * *

 **(Shuuichi's P.O.V. :)**

Akihabara was more crowded today than what I had anticipated. Even though it was no longer rush hour, I had to weave Remi through slow moving crowds, keeping a firm grip on her wrist as to not loose her in the crowd.

Given her stature- it was easier said than done, but we had successfully reached our destination, peering into a quaint little bookstore. "I didn't realize there would be a bit of a crowd." I joked lightly, hearing her mumble under her breath.

"… A bit...?" She dusted herself off, and I followed into the store behind her. For a place she had never been in, it seemed she knew exactly where to go, for she made a beeline straight towards the back, only to stop at a section. 'Horror Novels'. I raised a brow.

"Oh man, they got a bunch of stuff I've never even heard of. Ohmigod, they have the entire ' **Kid Phantom** ' collection." Remi said with excitement, dashing over. "It's obscure. There's only like a hundred copies of the original, unedited version."

I followed her, peering over her shoulder to observe. The Synapse was rather short, but it did provide to be interesting. Enough to provoke someone who frequently read to have their curiosity quipped. "Are you familiar with this series?" Perhaps I would pick up this series on my free time.

"I've read the first. It's hard to find the rest, even though it's only a saga." Remi had answered back, skimming over the pages. "I like books with lengthy chapters… Gives me more to read, but it sucks when you finish a book, you know?" I agreed silently. "I saw you reading some book earlier." I nodded, hearing the question in her voice before she could even ask it.

"I read mostly books on Botany, since it is my hobby. Although on occasion I will pick up a novel." Remi hummed. She most likely had heard me, but the majority of her attention was focused on a large bin full of assorted books. I glanced over the small tag that read ' _100 Yen Clearance Books_ ' with a small smile. I could feel her joy rolling off her, briefly letting out a small curse when she pulled back her hand, wincing. I immediately caught a whiff of copper and iron. "Are you alright?" Her hand was now bleeding.

"Yeah, I just got a damn paper cut. I should've been more careful, haha. But look at this Shuuichi." Remi held up a large, worn leather book with a strange lock on the middle of what should have been the front cover illustration. "Weird, huh? Looks like some kind of diary or something…" The lock gleamed strangely, and I realized she had cut herself with it.

"…" I leaned closer, noticing her spirit energy shift drastically. Without a word, I snatched the book away from her.

Her eyes never left the book, waiting for me to open it. "It must be ancient. Careful, there might be some kind of satanic summoning ritual in there." She joked, but I didn't respond.

…

… _**Her spirit energy spiked like a vice towards the book, causing it to vibrate in my hands. It suddenly flew open, and my eyes widened at the empty pages suddenly having strings of strange text crawl out of the book-**_ My hand had gripped the book tightly, closing the book with such a quick force, that Remi had flinched at the suddenness. "… Shuuichi?"

"…" I walked up to the cashier, not wasting any time to have the book bagged, and out of Remi's sight. I would have to ignore her questioning look.

I wanted to scold myself for outwardly showing such a display of emotion, but this discovery truly was unprecedented.

"..?"

Remi became quiet after that, buying the Kid Phantom books she had been talking about earlier, and walking out the door behind me. "Everything alright?"

"… Everything's fine. Sorry for startling you." I replied, not fully answering. She mumbled an okay, but it was obvious that she suspected something was going on. Not feeling in the mood to keep up the pleasantries, I quietly voiced I would be needing to get home soon before my mother worried, making up some typical human teenager excuse , and that seemed to convince her. Remi said her goodbyes after I walked her to the train station and reminded her of our tutoring on Friday, and I excused myself for cutting the day so short.

…

…. I would not be returning home however. A visit was needed to Koenma's _immediately_. I mused over how exactly I would explain today's occurrence…

* * *

( **Koenma Unexpectedly Arrives In The Spirit World; )**

"There is a problem." Was the first thing the fox demon said as the overseer of the Spirit World and his assistant looked over to greet him.

"Did something happen with our Gaijin girl?" Said a grave Koenma, a serious expression settling on his baby face.

Kurama presented them the book. At first Koenma seemed confused, but he let out a surprised gasp at the sudden energy the book shut out when Kurama tried prying the lock open. "You felt that, correct."

Koenma peered over the book. "What the hell is this thing?!"

"What a seemingly ancient demon artifact would be doing in a quaint human bookstore- my guess is as good as yours." Kurama admitted with a frown. He didn't like not knowing. "She found it, by the way. No, rather, _this_ found her. She cut herself on this lock, and her spirit energy changed along with the book. It suddenly opened, and I caught a glimpse of some kind of demonic text I am not familiar with."

"I'll have to look into this more to find out what this thing is, but what worries me is that Miss Rosario found this in the Human World, of all places! What a book like this is doing there…"

"On another note Koenma, Yusuke has been having trouble befriending Remi. It seems the two had a previous bad encounter prior to the discovery of her spiritual energy. As of now, I am the only one on this case in a close enough vantage point to her."

"I see. I kind of suspected that, given to Yusuke's… _bold_ personality."

"What would you like me to do regarding to the situation?"

Koenma was quiet for a while, but he handed the book back to him, small beady eyes directly gazing upon Kurama. "… Keep the book. I'll have to do some research to see if it pops up anywhere on the Demon Archives, but I feel it would be best to have it under your eyes. I don't know how safe it will be under my watch since there already was a breach with Remi's files going missing. Contact Remi as much as you can, and be careful. There's no knowing what else can trigger her. We still need to figure out why she had traces of demonic energy on her. From my sources, they claim it was of an organic nature, meaning it was _someone,_ and not an object she had been in contact with. Try to see if you can gain access to any of her inner circle… I have a feeling it is someone close to her that may be a demon in hiding." Kurama bowed, nodding as he left for the Human World.


	5. Chapter 5 An Unfortunate Situation Pt 1

( **An unfortunate Situation:** )

* * *

( **Concerning Hiei and Kuwabara:** )

Hiei was not pleased. At all. He stared on ahead, ignoring the sharp intake the orange haired buffoon beside him took. A scowl deepened on his already scowling face as he took a step forward.

"…"

Kuwabara muttered something, but was ignored by the shorter boy. "… You feel that?"

The air warped around them, heating up to an almost scorching temperature at the fluctuation of Spirit Energy around them. They could hear a low crackling sound emitting from everywhere, and Kuwabara shivered. "It's all weird and tingly here. I think we must be close to the weird barrier weakness thingy. I'm getting all sorts of weird energy here, and its creeping me out."

"Where exactly is it coming from." Hiei said, scanning the area. Kuwabara only shook his head.

"Dunno. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but we must be really close, cuz my Spirit Energy's going all crazy… Ugh, and it's making me sick." Kuwabara said just as he covered his mouth. Hiei, scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Hey shorty- I… _I-I don't feel so good_." Hiei said nothing. Kuwabara's knees buckled. "Ugh…"

Hiei scoffed, unwrapping his head bandana to reveal his Jagan eye. It fluttered open, earning a shiver from Kuwabara. "Hn."

"So what do you see?"

Hiei was quiet for a while, until he let out a grunt, Jagan eye shutting quickly as he grasped his head. Kuwabara tried to sit up to help him, but he wasn't in a good state either. Something freaky is going on here. This was different than that Barrier incident in which his Spirit Sword cut a hole through. The energy back then didn't make him sick, or feel like it was sucking up his own Spirit Energy. Plus, they were able to fix it with Yami.

He could barely manage to crawl towards Hiei, taking out his communicator seconds before he passed out.

 _ **Bzz. "Yo, what up loser, freakin' rare to see you callin- eh? Kuwabara? Yo, Kuwabara- what the hell's up with you?! Hellooo- Goddammit! What the hell happened?!"**_

* * *

( **Lunch Time: At Sarayashiki: ** )

By now, the halls were relatively clear since the majority of the students already had packed inside the Cafeteria. Remi made her way towards her favorite spot to eat, skirt swaying with her quick pace. With a grimace, she slightly cringed at how loud she was stepping. It was something some of the other girls would point out and laugh, those dainty bitches.

After rounding the corner, Remi sighed when a lot of the girls glanced her way, the normal chatter of lunch suddenly full with hushed, poorly hidden whispers. "…" Ignoring them all, she flashed a nod towards some of her classmates from art class, and ordered herself a Sushi Combo at the lunch store and sat down.

' _God, I was hungry._ '

"Are you Remi? Remi Rosario?" Remi stopped her chopsticks, parts of the sushi dripping of her grip.

"… Yeah. Uh, what's up?" The small group of girls who had approached her all looked at each other, before a bleached blonde with ultra pink lipstick spoke up, most likely the ring leader from this basic bitch clique. Oh, they were in her class with Mr. Iwamoto.

"I'm Anko, we haven't spoken much, but I'm in your Japanese History class in the mornings. I hope you don't mind, but can we sit here?" Remi faked a smile under her sudden annoyance.

' _Ah, and so it begins…_ ' "Sure, of course you can sit here… I don't own this table or anything, go ahead." Anko and the other girls smiled, taking their seats.

"So, Rosario-san, word around the school is, that some hot boy from that fancy Academy across town sees you a lot afterschool, eh. I don't mean to pry…" Remi mentally rolled her eyes, since she just negated her own words by doing exactly what she claimed she - _wasn't -_ doing. Idiot. "But are you guys an item or something? Cuz you seem really chummy with Urameshi."

Remi smiled. Ooh, if only they knew about the dare… "… No we're friends. We're not dating or anything. And as for Urameshi- I hate that guy with a passion." Anko and the girls let out a glee laugh.

"Oh really? So I take it he's single then?! Because Maki over here totally had a ' _love at first sight_ ' moment when we noticed you guys last Friday. We wanted to know if you guys were a thing before Maki could get her hopes up, but I'm glad you guys aren't dating! I mean it makes sense!" One of Remi's eyes twitched. "If it's not any trouble Rosario-san, can you introduce us to him? Since you guys seem to be real close. Maybe you know his type, although he seems to be into a shy, girly, cute type." Anko finished off, pulling her blushing friend Maki closer. "Totally Maki, by the way."

"Actually-" Remi stopped, an idea suddenly popping into her head. She had been a bit offended when the girl's blatantly denounced her chance with Shuuichi, but she didn't mind shooting these girls hopes down. "It might not be as easy as that, Anko." Anko's smile dropped.

"What does that mean?"

Remi leaned in closer, feigning apology, as she sipped on her iced green tea. "You might be disappointed Maki, but Shuuichi doesn't exactly _**play**_ _on the opposite teams…_ "

"? EH?'

"… _**My friend Shuuichi's GAY, honey**_." Which was a total, blatant lie, but their reactions were worth it.

" **EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!** "

Remi nodded her head with an apologetic smile, but she was laughing her ass off inwardly. Shuuichi. Gay?

...

Not that she was one to judge other's life choices, but she _seriously_ doubted her own lie was true. She'd seen the looks other girls would get on their stupid faces the couple of times they hanged out, and the boy could pretty much drop panties without the effort, or want. But she could tell Shuuichi was a gentleman, always ignoring the lust filled stares with a polite smile and innocence.

... Or maybe he was fully aware of it?

Anko's mouth was still agape with shock, as well as Maki's, and Remi thought for a second a fly would go in their mouths. "H-he's… _**GAY..?**_ "

Remi nodded. "I know, shocking right?! I was so surprised when he confessed it. I honestly didn't see _that_ coming." Setting her chopsticks aside, Remi gathered her now empty bento box along with her half finished green tea. "Well girls, it was nice talking to you-" ( _It really wasn't_.) "- But I have to go help out my art teacher with some sculptures she's putting out." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. Remi had planned to do that today. Although afterschool.

With a small smile, Remi said goodbye to the irrelevant girls, and headed out of the Cafeteria to the third floor towards Art class. Remi rounded the last corner towards her favorite classroom ( _the small cramped classroom was located at the very back of the school_ ) just as Urameshi did the same.

 **Bump!**

Remi, being the shorter of the two, was instantly knocked down on her butt, holding her now aching nose as she had squarely hit onto Urameshi's chest. "Ugh, I better not be bleeding from my nose!"

Yusuke let out a small grunt, roughly pulling Remi up. "Oh it's you. What are you doing here, it's lunchtime. Shouldn't you be stuffing your face in like a pig?"

Remi was taken aback by this, momentarily blinking blankly up at him before a scowl appeared on her face. "Shut you're fucking mouth, Urameshi." She pushed past him.

Yusuke raised a thick brow at the Gaijin's retreating form. "What's her problem?" A beeping noise coming from his pocket soon made him forget the encounter as Yusuke Urameshi smirked, opening up the Spirit World communicator. _**"Yo, what up loser, freakin' rare to see you callin- eh? Kuwabara? Yo, Kuwabara- what the hell's up with you?! Hellooo- Goddammit! What the hell happened?!"**_

There was no response from Kuwabara. With a curse, Yusuke jumped the rooftop gates, in a hurry to get in contact with Kurama. Unbeknownst to the Spirit Detective however, Remi watched in sheer horror as the teen hopped over the gate as if it were nothing. She nearly tripped over her own feet just to see Yusuke already running out of sight from the school grounds.

" _ **IS THIS GUY EVEN HUMAN**_ …" Small hands gripped the rooftop's gate, nose pressed up harshly against it as she listlessly stared on trying to figure out how a teenaged boy managed to jump a 7 foot gate off a 6 floor building unto concrete without his legs completely shattered. Her brows furrowed in anger as she let go of the gate, her body already moving to trail after Urameshi without having the thought to do so. " _JEEZ, HE'S FAST!_ " Remi burst out of the school's gates, heading towards the direction she last saw Yusuke run off to. Her gut told her this was a bad idea, that shoving her nosy self into the asshole's business would prove to be dangerous for her in the long run…

… But then she would remember _**that**_ day. How Yusuke was able to see those- those _**THINGS**_ and Remi found herself wanting to figure out exactly what was going on. Not only that, she could feel there was something about Yusuke that seemed… _Different…_

… Like if there was something more to the foul mouthed troublemaker than at first glance.

Something about that Yusuke Urameshi made her wary, and Remi was **not** going to stop until she found out what it was. Even if she had to practically creep on the guy… No, she had no shame on that.

Remi sighed out of frustration, her lungs already burning with the strenuous running. "Just a little more- _he shouldn't have gotten too far, it's only been a minute!_ " Her legs strained, picking up their pace with the last of her strength. " _ **Dammit, where is he?!**_ " Remi panted, peering around. Her head was starting to hurt now, and she could feel her legs start to quiver. It wouldn't be long before they buckled under her own weight, out of sheer exhaustion.

She was nearing an intersection, barely paying attention to the lights when she saw a flicker of green. With a shout of glee, Remi followed in hot pursuit. She had just caught the sharp contrast of fiery red hair, and green eyes when she face planted unto the concrete.

"Aaaagh!" Her face burned immediately with pain, and she quickly sat up only to feel dizzy. Remi could feel something warm rush down from her face. It wasn't until she saw her uniform shirt turn red, that she realized she was bleeding from her nose, and a gash on her forehead. "Oh-mi- _ **gawd.**_ " Her attention shifted unto the scene developing in front of her, as she saw Yusuke briefly greet another boy who- _WAS THAT SHUUICHI?!_

"— **This can NOT be happening.** "

"… _I MUST HAVE A CONCUSSION. CUZ HOW WOULD URAMESHI KNOW SOMEONE FROM MEIOU..?"_

Remi blinked several times, but she was not hallucinating. It really was Shuuichi. And Yusuke. Shuuichi and Yusuke- someone like the fair red-haired prince knew an ogre like Yusuke. "…"

She wasn't close enough to hear their conversation, but Remi decided it was enough. She was tired, injured- it was enough drama and adventure for one day. Defeated, Remi slowly got up, rushing out of their potential sight towards her house. "Tomorrow." She decided. _She'd confront Yusuke._

* * *

 **A/N: *Collapses right after posting this up* Took forever. Forgive me guys... Part 2 will be up soon. *Goes into coma, because going fulltime school, and parttime job is stressfull as hell***

 **P.S: Like or review, is welcomed!**


	6. Chapter 6 An Unfortunate Situation Pt 2

**( An Unfortunate Situation: Part 2** **)**

* * *

Muttering darkly under her breath, Remi crossed her arms trying to conceal her anger. Her head still hurt from yesterday. And to say her mother was _pissed-_ would be 'understatement of the year'. Mrs. Rosario almost gave her another concussion for the second time that day, stitching up the gash on her forehead, and nearly causing the short raven _another_ wound afterwards.

Her gray orbs trailed over to Yusuke, who was seated next to her with his legs crossed over on top of their lab desk. Whatever she had done, surely God didn't intend for this to be some sort of divine punishment?

"…" The constant movement of Yusuke's shoes irked her, for some strange reason. "Put your damn legs _**off**_ the table, **idiot.** " The shorter girl retorted as quiet as she could, even though a couple of the nearby students peeked over at them. Remi recognized some of them as those girls who approached her once during lunch time. After that day, they didn't try to talk much, but Remi could still tell their curiosity about her relationship with Yusuke ( _nonexistent_ ) and Shuuichi ( _also nonexistent_ ) wasn't done with.

"Tch." Yusuke scoffed, proceeding to lean his chair even further. "Get off my case, Chubby Bunny."

' _Up yours, Travolta Wannabe. Slick back hair belongs in the last two decades, not the 90's'._ Remi thought.

"… Fuck you."

 **"Is there a problem you two?"** Both teens looked up to see Mr. Iwamoto peering down at them with a disapproving scowl on his face. "Miss Rosario-san, I really wouldn't want you to end up like our resident street rat _delinquent_ Yusuke Urameshi." A side-glance to her right and Yusuke looked back at the annoying teacher with a defiant frown. "… Unfortunately the seating is determined by alphabetical last names. Otherwise I would move you two. No need for you to get Urameshi's corruption." With a disgusting smile Remi deemed near Pedophilia, Mr. Iwamoto handed the pair a folder with a little chuckle. "As requested by the _**Principal**_ himself. You two are to complete this joint project by the end of this month. Typically my projects are given out as individual research, but the Principal strongly suggested this dunderhead to be paired up with someone who actually excels in my class. Which is why you two are paired up. Now, I except the topic of this project to be about our current lesson plan, of the 'Sword Hunt' during the Meiji Era. Doesn't matter exactly, but I expect you two to focus on a particular event, or historical figure concerning the Era. I'm not concerned you won't fail my expectations, Miss Rosario-san, but I do apologize you were paired up with this dunderhead."

"Kiss it." Was all Yusuke offered with his middle finger.

Iwamoto scowled, straightening his collar. "Disrespect your teachers, eh?! Detention. **NOW.** "

"Don't bother, I'm already leaving this dump anyways."

Remi could only watch as Yusuke stalked off with a kick opening the class door roughly, making the other students jump. With a sigh, Remi stared out the window, wondering how in hell she was going to pass this project. "Miss Rosario-san." Remi looked up to see Mr. Iwamoto still standing their with that pervy smirk.

"Yes?"

"This project is worth 45% of the overall grade." Remi's eyes widened slightly. ' _45%?! What the fuck, that's like- almost half of the grade!'_

"I don't expect Yusuke to pull his own weight through with this project, which is why I recommending you to ignore the Principle's request and just conduct your own project. Don't let that dead beat lower your grades, after all." Mr. Iwamoto laughed slightly, pushing up his glasses farther up his nose as he touched Remi's shoulder, hand lingering _way_ longer than needed. "Not a _sweet_ girl like you-"

Remi stood up from her seat, smiling at Mr. Iwamoto as she gathered her things to leave. "Thanks for the concern, but it was the Principal's orders right…" She threw him a sharp stare with her dark gray eyes.

"Urameshi is a dunderhead, Mr. Iwamoto. You're right. But he's still you're student… Treat him like one." With that, Remi left a classroom full of open mouthed students, and a flabbergasted Professor. "… Where the hell did Urameshi go?!" She was running now, not wanting to encounter the pesky hall monitor, or another Dean in the Hallway. With no lead as to where Yusuke could have gone, Remi blindly made her way down the hall, stopping once she noticed the door to the rooftop was slightly ajar. "…" With a sigh, Remi quietly made her way up the stairs. "Well, he does sort of fit that stereotypical ' _sulking bad boy leaning against the school's rooftop gates'_ look. Typical."

Yusuke almost walked out the moment their eyes met. It was damn annoying, having to be around the damn Gaijin, but what could he do? He had to try and earn her trust, and shit- even though she was an annoying bitch, her mysterious situation and the abnormal Spirit Energy made her in danger of being killed or taken advantage of or something. As a Spirit Detective, he just couldn't let that happen. Even though nothing big _has_ happened.

"Urameshi."

It was weird hearing her call him anything but an insult, but regardless of the thought, he looked her over.

"…"

"…" Remi looked awkward, but she walked up next to him, leaning against the rooftop gate. "Why does he hate you so much?"

"Tch. Like hell I'd know…

"… He told me to lie. Like if you weren't helping with the project. Well, he didn't exactly **_say_** that, but I'm pretty sure it was implied."

"Then why don't you do it. Wouldn't affect me. I'd just be slowing you down."

"… He said that too. So I told him to treat you like a student." Yusuke's eyes widened a little as their eyes met.

"Why the hell' ja do that for?"

Remi shrugged. "... I guess I don't like him as much as he doesn't like you..." Remi let out a laugh. "But I'm expecting _**at least**_ a 95% on this stupid project. So let's do our best, okay?"

"…"

Yusuke blinked, dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before a boisterous laugh erupted from his chest.

"You're a real fucking bitch, you know that?"

* * *

When Remi finally left her temporary prison known as math class, she was surprised to see Urameshi leaning against her locker. Calmly walking up to the boy, she gave him a small nod in acknowledgement. "Yo."

Urameshi looked up. He wore a neutral expression on his face, straightening his posture. "Hey."

"Uh, were you by any chance... _waiting_ for me...?" He only rolled his eyes at her. Oh my gawd, he **was.**

"Well duh. We gotta do that stupid project by the end of this month, right?"

"Yessss..."

"So we should start the fucking thing as soon as possible and get it over with."

"Yeeah..?"

"..." Yusuke glared. "... So we're doing that now."

Remi sighed.

* * *

"I think these should be all we'll need." Yusuke sat across from her, picking up a book from the small pile.

"We're not seriously gonna read all these…"

"Psh, **no** , are you crazy as— _ **Urameshi?!**_ No, no- we're just gonna skim through it and take down notes on anything relevant. How about we write about some famous swords? There must've been some infamous sword during the ban or something. Probably legendary, or supposedly 'demonic' or something with that kind of lore."

Yusuke had to admit, it did seem kind of interesting. He honestly hadn't thought about what they'd write about specifically. Something like that seemed different than the topics he'd guess the rest of their class would pick. Dumb-amoto would probably be so surprised at their kick ass project. With a smirk, he felt determined to ace this damn project. "Well, I'm game." Remi grinned.

"Well then, let's get started."

* * *

They ended up staying until the Librarian shooed them out, stating it was the Library's closing hour. The afternoon had been spent well, the raven girl decided. Urameshi had kept his end of the deal and hadn't complained much during the research. He seemed a bit interested in it actually, to her amazement. Although she didn't want to admit it- she had an inkling that Yusuke was no stranger to fights, and could probably hold his own pretty well. Hell, even the way he walked looked like one of those anime fighters walking up to an enemy just before a battle would start…

Remi almost punched herself. Wherever these thoughts were leading to, she wanted to end it. " _ **Jeez, I have GOT to stop doing that…**_ "

"? You say somethin' ?"

"No." Remi lied. She struggled with the pile of books they had checked out. Noting this Yusuke took both piles from her hands without a word, startling the short girl a bit at the gesture. "Tch. I could've handled it on my own, _Urameshi._ " He threw her a look over his shoulders, since his strides covered more ground due to being taller than the girl.

"You know how lame I'll look if I made _you_ do all the work? Deal with it." Even though the Spirit Detective hadn't meant to say it so harsh, it came out that way, and he sighed. "… Look, this isn't because you're a girl, or some kind of macho— _ **pride**_ _, thing._ " Remi gave a sigh of her own, but dropped the subject, opting to trying to match his strides. Unbeknownst to her, Yusuke slowed his pace, and the short girl caught up to his side.

The street lamps were slowly starting to flicker on, and Yusuke decided he should walk her home. "Hey, it's too late for you to be out by yourself." Yusuke explained. ' _And Koenma will kill me if I let something happen to you when you're supposed to be protected by me and Kurama…_ '

Remi glared at him stubbornly, but didn't protest. "Fine."

* * *

"Ah. That explains everything…"

Remi jumped a bit at Otoni's soft voice coming from her family's front porch. A plate of food was placed next to him as he stood up, peering at her with amusement in his eyes.

"…" Remi frowned, suddenly wanting to shoo Yusuke away. "Hey Momma bear." She quipped quickly, before turning back to a confused Yusuke. "Urameshi. Don't lose the notes you took down today from the Library, cuz I swear, I will make you a woman the _**hard**_ way." He rolled his eyes, setting the books on the front porch past Otoni.

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever. You're lucky we have this damn project to do, or I would rip ya a new one for that comment, Gaijin Girl…" Stubborn dark brown orbs met amused onyx ones. "Sorry. Do I know ' ja?"

Otoni raised a brow. "I Doubt it. I'm Otoni Dalca. Her childhood friend." Otoni stuck out his hand. Yusuke stared at it for a moment before shaking the latter's hand.

"… Yusuke Urameshi…" The boy said offhandedly, glaring hard at him as a jolt of electricity shot through him. "The fuck?" Remi frowned, clearing her throat as she brushed past them.

"? Well, hate to break this, uh… chummy display of 'alpha assertion'… But I'm starving." Without another word, Remi went inside.

Otoni stretched, regarding Yusuke with a small smile. "It was nice meeting you. Hope Remi's not too harsh." He joined his friend, leaving yusuke ( _who was already leaving_ ) alone. As the Spirit Detective walked down the quiet path, he took out his communicator, his face rigid with the newfound revelation. The screened clicked with a bell noise, and Yusuke saw a wooden desk, with books piled neatly next to it before the view shifted to show Kurama.

" _ **Yusuke. Is something the matter? Has Kuwabara contacted you as of yet?"**_ It was now pitch black outside, the temperature having steadily dropped. Anotehr chilly wind caused Yusuke to dig his chin deeper into the inside of his collar, hands in his pockets for warmth.

"It's the childhood friend." Yusuke retorted, stopping to peer back momentarily. A street lamp had just flickered a bit. "He's the one close to her with the faint demonic aura."

Through the screen, the Spirit Detective could see the revelation register through the fox demon's features, before he responded with an " _ **Are you sure?**_ "

Yusuke scoffed. "No doubt about it. I just dropped her off at her place and met him. I felt it the moment we shook hands. It was really faint, but there's no mistaking that energy."

" _ **... Do you believe he sensed your Spiritual Energy?**_ "

"Dunno, but i wouldn't doubt on it. Should we attack." The thrill of an impending fight made Yusuke jittery.

" _ **No, not yet. I fear the momentary peace will soon be over. Although as of yet nothing significant has happened, our guards should be kept raised- even more so that we have yet to hear back from Kuwabara nor Hiei. You were able to find out who was the demon close to her. For now, remain cautious and aware of who is around Rosario-san. For now rest, Yusuke. I will handle it from here."**_

Yusuke nodded.. "Later."

* * *

Remi sneezed, dropping her fork in the process.

"Somebody's popular." Otoni exclaimed, grinning at her from his seat across the dining table. Mrs. Rosario emerged then from the living room, shooting the boy a graceful smile.

"Cariño, are you still hungry? There's plenty more food, so eat yourself into a food coma, okay?" Mrs. Rosario patted otoni's cheek. "It's always a pleasure having you over, you're like a second hijo to me." Remi rolled her eyes.

" **More like un _LAMBÓN_..** " Remi uttered under her breath while Otoni onle smirked her way.

"Thanks alot Mrs. Rosario, but i'm full already. Your meals are always delicious."

 **Cough.** " **Kiss-ass.** "

Mrs. Rosario briefly glared at her daughter before leaving. Once the coast was clear, Remi turned to Otoni. "Oh she's all about you. Even when you're not here."

Otoni shrugged. "What can i say. Its my charm." Remi snorted. "... So your suppossed enemy walked you home, huh..."

"Don't even. We got stuck with a project together, and he walked me home after working on it since we got out late. That's all."

"So how has your study dates with the ' _red-haired prince form Meiou Academy_ ', been?"

"Oh my gawd, stop. Just- **UGH.** " Remi leaned over to whack Otoni over the head, but the latter just moved out of the way. ""I haven't seen him in like a week. The last time he was acting kinda strange. He left suddenly after i cut myself with some weird cult looking book."

Otoni raised a brow. "Maybe you're cursed now." He pointed out. Remi slapped the salt shaker out of his hand, which he was attempting to through some salt over her shoulder for good luck. The salt instead was knocked over, pouring all over the table. ""Spilled salt. That's alot of bad luck."

"HA. Superstition. If you call it to forever be ignored by the male population, whilst the only attention from said other population is your childhood best friend- then yeah, i'm cursed as hell." They both laughed. "... By the way, how's your end of the dare going?"

"I didn't exactly agree to be a part of it, remember."

"So you're not even going to _try_?" Remi shot back. "Come on- _the stakes are high!_ Summer vacation's only once a year."

"There just isn't one my type." Remi sighed, but dropped the subject of course. She had momentarily forgotten he liked thick girls, a type rarely seen in Japan.

* * *

...

"..."

Now, he was pressed with a serious dilema. Svelte hands pressed against his face, pondering on the conversation from just moments ago.

...

Without a word, Kurama reached under his bedside desk, opening a cabinet. He took out a large worn book, flipping through its contents listlessly before placing a finger over the middle of the page. "This should be enough for now."

Kurama concentrated on gathering enough of hisdemonic aura, mixed in with a bit of his Spiritual Energy to conjur up a demonic plant. Holding out his palms, the air over it sizzled and popped, as a small seed emerged from thin air. "I Will be able to track Remi's whereabouts, as well as any demonic aura near here. The only problem is- i need something personal of hers for the seed to recognize and attach to her Spirit Energy signature." Kurama stored the seed in his hair. Tomorrow. He'd visit Remi's and slip it on her without her knowledge. The other situation, however, regarding the demonic childhood friend would be dealt with promptly. But Kurama himself needed to identify him, and Yusuke was the only one who knew how he looked like. Kurama suddenly chuckled.

"... Perhaps keiko and Shizuru will be needed..."

* * *

Shizuru was in the midst of downing yet another bottle of sake when there was a knock on her window. "Tch, hasn't anybody ever heard of a door..." The older woman grumbled, promptly ignoring the knocking. It wasn't until the fourth knock on glass that she got irritated, and wobbled her way towards the window.

"Well, i'm surprised it's you and not my shitty little brother trying to come in through the window cuz he snuck out late or forgot his keys or somethin'. " Shizuru joked, stepping aside to let Kurama in."You _have heard of a door, though, right._ " Kurama bowed.

"My apologies for my brashness Shizuru. My intention was not- "

Shizuru brushed the apology off as if it held some kind of physical form to it. "Eh, don' worry' bout it. What's up? Is Kazumi in some sort of trouble... i swear that idiot always is."

Kurama smiled slightly at the hidden concern for her younger brother that Shizuru tried to embellish with an insult. "He contacted Yusuke earlier in the week, but has of yet to reply back to any of our calls. But he is strong." Kurama assured, and he could see the older Kuwabara become more calm.

"I'd give him that." Her eyes softened. "Like a cockroach- the idiot just doesn't know when to stay down. So, did you need something from me? Cuz i'm pretty sure a woman like me isn't your type, _fox boy._ " Shizuru's eyebrows wriggled. "Sake?"

Kurama chuckled at her light humor. "Now, that is not necessarily true or untrue. Thank you for the offer, but i will have to decline on the sake." Shizuru pulled the sake bottle back, drinking it all.

"Not necessarily, huh? Damn, given that your like- _what, a couple of thousand of years old, or sometin' ?_ Guess I missed my chance thousands of years late!" They both laughed, and Shizuru ushered Kurama towards the living room, pulling up a chair for him to seat. "Hehehe, i'm just joking with ya." Shizuru said between a fit of laughter. She peered over to Kurama, sticking her tongue out. "Besides- red heads aren't my type anyways. Give me a tall, dark, and handsome- that's more like it!" Kurama chuckled, shaking his head. "Glad to hear that. I actually have a matter to discuss with you."

Shizuru was quiet for a moment, but that was only to light up a cigarrette. "... _**I'm all ears.**_ "

"I believe your brother has informed you a little on what is currently happening in the Spirit World, yes?" Shizuru nodded.

"The barrier between the three world's is going bat shit, yeah. What about it?"

"A person of interest to Spirit World is thought to be part of the reason why it is out of control, and we are currently trying to know why-"

"- Hold on. Does this person know anything?"

"No she does not. And i would like to keep it that way as i fear it would only make the situation worse. A demon is already aware of her capabilities, yet i do not know what said demon is capable of, or if he is not working is why i need your help, Shizuru... I am planning to find out more about this demon disguised as someone close to her, but to do that-"

"- You need some sort of guise to get close enough." Shizuru finished off. "So you need an excuse to get to meet her demon stalker, while making it seem like some social norm shit- _am i hitting it right on the nail?_ "

"Exactly."

"So who's in on this?"

"I have already informed Keiko. I have yet to tell Yusuke."

"Well Keiko and Yusuke are already a thing- oh. You tryna make it seem like some kind of triple date thing? Seems normal enough. Alright i'm in." Kurama didn't even need to ask.

"Thank you, Shizuru."

Shizuru rolled her eyes. "... But her friend better not be ugly, or else i'm outta there, ya hear?"

"Loud and clear. It is your right to, afterall..."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ***Revives from her sickness* oh, heeeeey guys... As promised, part 2!**

 **So a little info on some foreign words for does of you that don't speak spanish;**

 **Cariño= Sweetie, darling. An affectionate word pretty much used in any situation in spanish, regardless whether good or bad, lol.**

 **Hijo= son**

 **Un Lambón= A rough translation in englis would be a person who mooches food off of others, or only is around if food is involved, hahaha.**

 **Just a quick reminder, This is mostly following the anime arc, as the manga has alot of variation that just didn't flow too well with this fanfic storyline, if anyone is wondering why some events are missing, sine this is the Highschool arc, and it has been a couple of years after the dark tournament times.**

 **Also,I'm using the english terms, as i find that it is the one people most recognize immediately than the japanese terms. Yes, this is set in Japan, but remember, this entire time it is them speaking in japanese. Since it is difficult to switch back and forth wothout translation, making the flow of the story not as good, it is written in english here since, well, i don't know japanese, lololol. So hope that doesn't trouble some of ya, but Yu Yu Hakusho is about the only anime in which i prefer the english dub over the original for some strnge reason...**

...

Well, until next time. Spirit Gun Awaaaaaaaay **


	7. Chapter 7 Thank You

**A/N: Otoni is revealed as the demon close to her?! Oh my!**

 **Welcome to another chapter of 'Heart of Thorns'. I don't own Yu Yu, it's characters, blah blah blah. Should be obvious that I do not own it, just this fanfiction plot and its Oc's, since I don't feel it necessary to insert a disclaimer in EVERY chapter. It's unnecessary when people get the gist the first time. Hope ya enjoy! 3**

* * *

 **It was absolutely dreadful outside.**

Remi stared on from inside the school, idly watching her classmates head out with umbrellas and ponchos ready for hurricane Shiki. It had caught meteorologists by surprise as a hurricane this close to fall was typically seen during the monsoon season in the summer time. Remi stood along the edge of Sarayashiki's front doors, the second floor balcony the only protection against the onslaught of wind and rain. Digging through her bag, she remembered the red umbrella perched on the dining table… _**at home.**_

"Great. when I _**actually**_ need it, I forget it…" She muttered.

It was tempting to just call Otoni and ask –( _demand_ )- him to pick her up, but regardless of being childhood friends, she knew Otoni would much rather stay at home. Where it was dry, warm, and comfy.

The wind blew already disheveled bangs across her face, and as Remi brushed her hand through them to tug them back behind her ears, something compelled her to look. She didn't know what it was- but the sudden feeling of nerves going numb, accompanied by the feeling of electricity prickling from her chest, head, then back down to her arms made her stop what she was doing and look to where the weird feeling seemed to be emanating from. "What the hell is he doing..?"

… Someone was standing in the damn rain, still, except for the small movement of their eyes sweeping over the area. He wasn't someone she recognized from school- even though she barely spoke to anyone outside of her art class, she at least could recognize who belonged to what grade or class… Besides, this guy was way taller than any guy at school.

"He doesn't look like he should even be in high school. Oh god, what if he's like one of those creeps that go for young teenaged girls, or something…?"

For a moment, Remi looked away, taking off her glasses. She wiped the hem of her school's cardigan sleeve to clear the fog that clung to her lenses. Fixing them back on, Remi decided to look back to the creepy guy one last time before risking getting sick and running home. The stranger slowly turned their head towards her. Lifting their cloak, to reveal bright yellow green eyes staring back at her. Bandaging covered his mouth. "What the..?"

What was visible of the stranger's face slowly lifted, and realization hit Remi suddenly at that moment. He was _**smiling.**_ The creep was smiling under the bandages, she was sure of it.. Her brows furrowed. She had never seen eyes like those. The creep's mouth started moving, but she couldn't quite make out what he was mouthing over and over. "… friend you..? Feel you-ah. Found you?" Remi tucked a bang behind her ear. "Is he saying I found you?"

 **Ring. Ring.**

Remi jumped _._ Instinctively reaching out for her phone, she kept her gaze towards the creep.

A car passed in between them, and she almost let out a yell when she saw the creep was gone. " _ **HOW IS THA—B-BUT!**_ " Annoyed, Remi harshly fumbled for her cellphone, not bothering to look at the caller id.

"Hello!?"

" _ **Is everything alright?**_ " Remi let out a sigh of relief. Shuuichi's suave voice calmed her down a bit. She half expected it to be the creep somehow.

"Shuuichi. Hey! It's been a while."

" _ **Yes it has. I wanted to speak to you today. Are you available right now? If not, we can always reschedule. I'd like to apologize for missing last Friday's tutoring lesson.**_ "

Remi looked back outside instinctively. She almost didn't want to go out, after that strange encounter. "Well I'm still at school. I forgot to bring an umbrella, but I don't think the rain's stopping anytime soon."

" _ **In that case, I'll head to you. I'm not too far away from your school, and I wouldn't bear the guilt if you got sick from the rain whilst I have an umbrella**_ **.** "

Remi let out a laugh. "I forgot today was Friday..." She paused, unsure if she should bring up the strange encounter up. Should she bother Shuuichi with such a thing?

… While it was very creepy, she honestly didn't want to start getting paranoid. Besides, now was her chance to get some of the questions that has been keeping her up at night ever since she found out Shuuichi and Yusuke know each other. Asking Yusuke himself was out of the question, you see.

What would most likely start of as curiosity, would ultimately end up in the two of them arguing –( _and quite literally_ )- knocking heads. Shuuichi, she figured, was a much more level-headed individual with etiquette. Even though she would potentially be crossing an uncomfortable boundary in asking, there was a higher chance that the red-head's gentlemanly demeanor would force the boy into providing her an answer.

On another note, she had not seen Yusuke all day, which honestly bothered her a bit since they had agreed to meet up today for their project. .

"— _ **alright, I'm outside of the school gates. I can enter if you want, that way you won't risk getting wet from the rain**_ **-** "

"-Nah, it's cool Shuuichi. I'm heading out right now."

* * *

Hearing the patter of shoes against wet concrete, Shuuichi looked back to greet her. " _Good evening._ "

"Hey Shuuichi. You wanna go get something to eat? I kind of skipped lunch today, so I pretty much can eat anything, ha-ha."

"Yes, of course. Anywhere in particular you would like to go?" Shuuichi offered his arm politely, the other holding his umbrella. Big enough for two, she noted. With a nervous laugh, Remi shakily declined, already feeling weird about them sharing an umbrella. He still smelled of sage, she noted, and almost smacked herself for the thought.

"Um, not really. I'm down for whatever."

Shuuichi laughed at this, bringing the umbrella closer to her when noticing her slightly damp shoulder. "In that case, I'll decide where to eat. Are you a fan of sushi?" She had given him an incredulous look, letting him know she was 'well acquainted' with sushi. "How is your Kanji going, if I may ask?"

"Well I got the numbers and the months pretty much down. I still confuse some of them though."

"Practice is key." Shuuichi advised, before a small silence came over them. It wasn't uncomfortable, at least to Remi. She saw the Sushi shop's large awning, and awed at the traditional styled building.

"Wow."

"Like a memento of the past, is it not?" They stepped on the dry entrance, taking off their shoes to go in. "Typically, kimono's are worn, but because it is so early, they're much more lax about their dress code. High school students are their usual's at this time."

A well dressed waiter ushered them to a nice table, placing their menus. The table was shaped like a "L", a room divider providing them privacy even though they were the only one's there at the moment. Shuuichi sat across from her, eyes scanning the menu before fluttering towards her.

"…" She looked away, feeling her cheeks flush. "…"

* * *

( **Shuuichi's P.O.V;** )

I could feel my lips start to tug into a frown, but caught the action before it could show. Clearing my throat, I smiled over at my companion, pointing to a certain dish on the menu. "Let's wager a bet." Her ears twitched slightly, and she looked much more interested than before.

"… I'm listening…" Her eyes held a mischievous sparkle.

"Tell me what you think this says. If you're correct I will do whatever you dictate for an entire day. The same condition applies if I win, of course." Remi nodded.

"Do you see this character over here?" She followed my gaze. "It's very similar to the character for sun, which I taught you that on our very first lesson." I reminded her, smiling a bit when she looked confused.

"Yeah, but I can't read the rest…"

"This one over here-" I pointed to the character besides the one for "Sun". "- means ' _fish_ '. I have yet to teach you that. But you should be able to decipher the rest on your own."

"… And if I say it wrong?"

"Then you'll just simply have to order it without knowing what it is. Peanut free, of course." I smiled back, taking a sip of water the waiter brought over. He stood with a note pad in hand, asking if we were ready to order. I nodded. "Yes we, are." I peered back at Remi expectantly, who looked anxious at the sudden pressure. "What will you be ordering?"

"…" She looked a bit comical staring down at the kanji characters as if she could physically burn them with her gaze, I must admit. "… I'll… I'll have the whiting fish with sunny side up eggs and edamame..?"

I could feel myself grin. "Do you mean to say the sunny side up omelet with stuffed tuna tempura?" She cringed, seeing the mistake after a couple of seconds.

"I'll have that?" The waiter nodded.

"And you, sir?"

"Actually, I'll have the spicy eel sushi combo, with a tea pot of rose lemonade tea, please." Nodding, the waiter bowed, and left.

"Is the word for egg usually written out in hiragana, by the way?"

" It depends. There's different variations for it. English loan words like ' _coffee'_ , ' _hamburger'_ , and ' _computer'_ are typically written out in hiragana. There are some similar words in katakana that now are paired with a kanji to represent the word for ' _electronics_ ' or ' _computer_ ', but the hiragana version is the more popular, and widely recognized when writing. Either way, you did very well."

"Oh." She looked hesitant, and pensive. It was probably too much to take in, after all.

"I will teach you those later. For now, let's practice over the one's you already know from our last tutoring. I will write down some, and I'd like for you to match up the character with its picture." From my bag, I took out a small pack of assorted prints.

"Come on Shuuichi, that's for kids…"

"It is the best way to visually see and pair them together, than just to read it. It will help you in memory. I actually use this technique when practicing my Spanish writing. By the way, I won the wager…"

Remi sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"If you would kindly do me a favor, Rosario-san…"

"Sure, what?"

"Well, I was invited to an outing of sorts, but the circumstances are rather… _Unfortunate..._ "

I saw Remi raise a brow in curiosity. "Jeez, what were you invited to, a cult or something? You make it sound like it's horrible."

"Frankly, I'd have to agree… It's a triple date of sorts, and I would feel extremely awkward to be paired up with my other friend who was invited as well, so I was wondering if you would like to accompany me and lay my friend's wish to go on a triple date to rest." I covered my laugh with a palm over my mouth at her sudden expression. "Why such a face? I do quite enjoy your company. It will be a great opportunity for you to relax before the midterms start. Plus, with you around, perhaps it wouldn't be as awkward."

"Oh…" Remi looked uncomfortable.

Clearing my throat, I arranged the prints in rows on the table, writing out different Kanji characters. "I don't mean any disrespect I apologize."

"Shuuichi, it's okay!" Remi was looking at me now with a small smile. "Don't worry about it, I just got a bit surprised. I'll go- that way you don't have to feel so awkward by yourself."

"Thank you. My sanity will forever be in your debt, Rosario-san."

"Ha-ha, don't mention it."

"Invite a friend of yours, as my friend wouldn't fancy being what she likes to call " _the third wheel_ "."

"Sure. When is it."

At that moment, the waiter arrived with our meals. "Thank you."

So, Kanji…" I watched her pick up her chopsticks, briefly fumbling with them before she scooped up some of the omelets, albeit with a shaky hand. "Is giving me a major headache."

I gave her a smile, hiding it behind the intricate tea cup. "… Perhaps that is your hunger speaking, Rosario-san…"

* * *

 **(At Spirit World: )**

"So what am I back here again for?" Was the first thing Yusuke said when Koenma burst through the doors, taking a seat on his large throne.

"Well it's nice to see you too again, Yusuke. Please, have a seat." Yusuke groaned in annoyance, slouching back on his seat.

"Make this quick." Koenma sighed.

"In a couple of days, Spirit World will be sending a dozen of new apparitions and low-level demons into the Human World. They've already completed their guest visas. They've been cleared for travel, but I still suspect some of them have intentions of staying past their guest visa and wrecking havoc in the Human World." Koenma got up, handing Yusuke a small briefcase. "I've collected enough Spiritual Artifacts for you in case any of them violate their requirements. You're forbidden to cause any of them harm unless they physically attack a human. Remain as you were concerning the Rosario girl's case. That is all- Botan, please escort the Spirit Detective back." Botan bowed, but stopped when Yusuke failed to follow.

A twitch appeared on Yusuke's brow. "That's it?"

"Pardon?" Yusuke scoffed, getting up.

"What about Kuwabara and Hiei?!"

"Yusuke, there isn't much any of us can do about-"

"- There's no way in hell I'm just gonna sit by and do nothing. IT'S BEEN WEEKS! While we have no idea where the hell they are, or if they're ok or not! They work for you, but you're not doing _shit_ to make sure they're ok..."

" _ **Yusuke!**_ " Koenma warned. The Spirit Detective was having none of that. His fists slammed hard against Koenma's desk, staring him down.

" **Do something about it. Or I'll have to do something myself...** "

"Yusuke Urameshi- are you threatening to go rouge?"

"Tch. If it'll mean saving my friends- _**hell yeah.**_ "

"You will do no such thing." Koenma said quickly, voice grave and brimming with indignant anger. " _May I remind you that you are a Spirit World Detective, and are bound to Spirit World rules. Break them, and our previous agreement will be null and void! You will be rebuked of your spiritual powers, and your soul will not be granted reincarnation. Eternal Purgatory is not nearly as torturous as a Spirit Detective marked as a traitor…_ "

Yusuke was quiet, keeping his heavy gaze. "… I couldn't give a goddamn care if I die. But I'm not abandoning my friends. After this whole visa shit, I'm going to the Demon World, and I'm gonna look for Hiei and Kuwabara, you understand?"

Koenma said nothing as the Spirit Detective left with Botan in tow.

* * *

( **Later That Day:** )

Remi could only stare on as her mother relayed their previous conversation over again while they prepped a large chicken for a paella. " _ **Seriously**_ , mom. Is all that necessary." Remi quipped with a bit of sarcasm, a trait she unceremoniously acquired from her mother's side of the family.

Ms. Rosario gave her a quick annoyed stare. That daughter of hers could be a handful, really. If only Remi were like her younger brother, who never complained too much. "Remi, you're not going until you introduce me to the people who invited you. That's _**final**_. You know how I roll- I need to know who the hell my kids are hanging out with in case something happens."

"Mom, I don't hang out with him often, so he'll probably find it really weird if I tell him you want to meet him!" Remi shot back, with a raised brow. "He's my - _somewhat_ \- tutor, and I don't wanna scare him off. He's the only guy I'm - _somewhat_ \- friends with besides Otoni!"

"Well, I still want to meet this ' _somewhat_ - _tutor_ ' of yours."

… _**Omg, her mom was something else**_. Remi sighed, cutting and ripping out the chicken fat off the meat harder and tossing it aside to a bag. "… Otoni's going too, so…"

"… Still need to meet the ' _tutor_ ' of yours, Remi."

"Ugh. **Fine** \- _but if my 'somewhat -non-existent' social life gets ruined because of you…_ " She trailed off, looking at her brother who walked in with a used cup. She watched him place it inside of the sink and start to leave, before she rushed towards the door, blocking his only exit with her leg raised. "Jerk- wash that!"

Her brother raised a brow, staring back with a blank expression. "How about ' _ **no'**_?"

"How about you wash that now, or I'll dump all _**your**_ dirty dishes on your bed?"

Ms. Rosario stepped in before the bickering could escalate, karate chopping Remi's leg down and taking the cup from her son. "Oyé Cecilio, next time, wash your cup right after you're done using it, por favor? Remi- stop being insufferable. Cecilio, come help me sort and wash the yellow rice."

Her brother Cecilio gave a small glare at Remi, before soon joining them. Remi smirked, leaning over her left side to peer at him. "Heh-heh- that's right, girl power."

… She received an elbow to her side from her mom. "…"

…

With two extra helping hands, Ms. Rosario was able to get the food prepped and ready faster than she expected, and she smiled at her children for their help, sending them off to whatever they we're going to do before setting up the table as their help was no longer needed. "Excellent." She turned back to the nearly done paella steaming on the stove top, and started taking out the dinnerware and cutlery to set up the table.

"Mom." Ms. Rosario looked back to see Remi look into the kitchen.

"Yes?"

Her daughter looked pensive, something that she rarely saw on her quick-witted Remi, which caught her a bit by surprise. "… His name is Shuuichi Minamino. Uh, do you wanna meet him on the day of the trip, or like, maybe invite him over. Or something? Preferably the _**least**_ most embarrassing option?"

" _ **Obviously**_ the latter Remi, Jesus." Ms. Rosario drawled out, glancing at her with suspicion. She seemed nervous, that girl. Was she really that embarrassed to introduce him to her? "Since the trip is on Saturday, invite him over Thursday for dinner."

"… Do you have to meet his mom too?"

"… Is it just going to be the you and two guys..?"

"oh god, no! No, it'll be me, Otoni, Shuuichi and like 3 more people! Seriously, mom…"

"Then I don't need to meet his mom." A smile slowly crept on her face. "Unless, of course, you think I should..?" Ms. Rosario chuckled at the pale look on Remi's face, who quickly shook her head.

"Nope, Thursday's fine!" And with that Remi hurried back to the dining room.

Ms. Rosario shook her head with a grin. "Ah, what it's like to be a teen again…" She whispered with melancholy mostly to herself, bringing the dinnerware to the dining room.

…

* * *

…

 **After two days, Remi finally mustered up the courage to call Shuuichi.** She found herself walking around the park's garden –( _where they first met, ironically_ )- with Shuuichi. His tutoring sessions were going well; her test scores had improved way more than when school first started.

Honestly, Remi was expecting uncomfortable awkwardness to seemingly roll off of Shuuichi when she would tell him about her mother's demands, but she was a bit taken aback when the red-haired boy simply gave her as pleasant smile, agreeing to come over for dinner and an introduction.

" _A mother's worry for the well-being of her child is understandable._ " Shuuichi had said regarding to the matter, assuring the raven-haired girl that it wasn't strange, nor awkward for him in the very least.

After that they had parted ways, agreeing to meet afterschool on the day of the dinner. She was going to message Otoni when she got home. Not that he had any other rather _awesome_ friends like her- just in case he would make any other plans for Saturday.

…

Her ride home was proving to be rather uneventful, it seemed. Usually the highlight of her ride home would be some kind of commotion on the train, or seeing that cute stray that liked to hang around the Shinto Shrine near her house. The two minute walk from the station back home was on the same avenue as the station, although her home was located on the corner of a street that intersected with another avenue. So Remi was well aware how confusing it would be for Shuuichi if he were to visit by himself, as the avenue made a U-turn to meet the second avenue after a couple of blocks.

The Shrine's intricate traditional styled roofing loomed well over the other houses as she neared it, eyes already scanning the surrounding area for the little stray cat she fed and petted whenever she could. "He must be out and about doing his own thing today." She commented, feeling a little disappointed. Today Otoni couldn't hang out with her afterschool because of some family business thing. As for everyone else- they either had school clubs activities, or exams keeping them busy from doing their weekly get together, so she hadn't seen them since they all met up over at Meiou. Also, coincidentally the same day she saw Yusuke do that weird light thing with his hand and that flying Botan girl. "Ugh, I forgot to bring it up with Urameshi!" She sulked. The boy had been missing a lot of school days, so they didn't even have the chance to keep going with their project, which the due date was dangerously close. "He better not ruin this for me, I swear…"

… She was just a couple of feet away from the Shrine now, and she picked up her pace. The place creeped her out. It gave her this similar vibe she got sometimes around Yusuke, or even a random person on the street occasionally. Although whenever she happened to feel that weird vibe, Yusuke's was much more intense and nauseating. Peering around one last time, she tried looking for the cat before she ended up passing the Shrine completely. It was large to be honest, what seemed like endless rows of quartz stairs leading up to the Shrine's entrance. Tall leafless cherry blossoms framed the side of the stairs. What use would a quartz stairs be? It would seem dangerous during a rainstorm. "… Creepy…" Remi mumbled.

" _ **Meow.**_ " She halted, her mood picking up as she looked around. Surely she had just heard the stray?

"Here, kitty, kitty." Dropping down to a kneeling position, Remi set her school bag beside her, patting the ground.

 _ **Rustle.**_

Looking to her right, she turned to face the direction of the noise. "Hey, I know I don't have any food today, but you can play with my cellphone charm or something." She said, before almost face palming.

… Here she was, attempting to have a conversation with a _cat_. Sighing once more, Remi took out her phone, dangling the little fox charm around in an attempt to get the cat to hear it, and come. "Meow, meow- or whatever you cats say in your cat language…"

" **Meow."**

" **Omg, did you understand me?"** Remi laughed. The rustling seemed to get closer, and Remi crawled on all fours up, slinging her bag behind her awkwardly. "Yeah, Yeah- I can hear you kitty, but where are you..?" Crawling along the edge of a nearby bush, she tried rustling it, only to withdraw her hand back quickly. "Ow. Real smart there Remi. You just tried rustling a thorn bush." She chided herself with a chuckle.

Just then the stray emerged from the bush beside her, stretching out and looked back at her. "There you are! Hi, remember me?" The stray looked at her for a couple of seconds, before letting out another meow, slowly striding towards her leg and cuddling it. "God you're cute."

The cat only purred in response to her petting. "… I wish I could take you home, little guy. But my mom hates cats, and Cecilio's allergic." Remi sighed. "Dammit Cecilio…"

 _ **RUSTLE.**_

Remi froze. "…"

 _ **RUSTLE.**_ A twig snapped somewhere behind her.

"!" Quickly turning back Remi nearly gave herself whiplash, only to find nothing.

 _ **CRACK.**_

There it was again. Could it be another stray cat?

Remi picked up the stray, hugging it closer. The wind seemed to pick up a bit, loudly whistling through the trees. "… _Okaaay_ …" This was getting kind of creepy. "Someone there..?" She jumped at the sound of a loud branch snap and fall to the ground. "Uh…" … There was no way that could have been a stray cat. Then again, the wind suddenly started to pick up, so Remi attributed the fallen branch to the strange weather.

A bell's chime in the distance caught her attention, causing her to look up the stairs, wondering if the monks were home. Maybe she should drop by and say hi? Remi had never actually gone up to the Shrine, but she figured such a holy place would be a den for politeness. She was starting to get creeped out, and honestly didn't want to be alone for a potential kidnapper to come and snatch her up or something… You just never know…

… There was rustling from all over now, growing closer, yet- it seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere. Wherever the hell it was coming from, Remi couldn't tell. "Whoever it is- it's not funny! Get a life." She yelled, turning to every direction trying to locate the noises. The wind violently nipped at her skin, raising the edges of her skirt in a flurry of movement. "What the hell is going on out there- _WHOAH!_ " The cat suddenly screeched, clawing out of her grasp. " _ **Hey!**_ " Four angry claw marks now adorned her forearms, starting to redden and bleed. A second cat appeared, chasing the one Remi had been petting earlier away from the vicinity. "Huh- guess there was a second cat after all. 10/10 creepy ass place…." Remi muttered hurriedly. "Time to get the fuck out of dodge." She turned around to get the hell out of there.

 _ **Yellow green eyes peered back.**_

…

Remi screamed. She had meant to scoot back, but ended up tripping over her bag. Her arms flailed wildly about her, desperately trying to break the fall. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough, and she ended up falling on top of the very first step. She hissed in pain, momentarily forgetting about what had spooked her, tried to sit up, only to clutch her side in pain. "A-ah- _**S-SHIT!**_ " Her body felt on fire. Remi was pretty sure she broke something, and it was getting hard to breathe. Movement in front of her caught her attention, and she let out a sharp scream when realizing what she was seeing.

 _ **IT WAS THE SAME GUY!**_ Oh god, he was here. She was going to die. This creep was going to kill her, she was sure of it… She was going to be one of those mentions on the news. "What the fuck do you want?!" Remi nearly screeched, trying –( _and failing_ )- to look intimidating.

The man slowly started to walk forward, closing the small distance in between them. He was exactly the same as that other day, the bandages still wrapped tightly on his face, but now that she could see him clearly up close, she realized it covered majority of his skin under the cloak as well. Her back pressed impossibly closer to the stairs, feeling trapped like a cornered animal. She could see his mouth start to smile under the bandages as he got closer, stopping just a couple of inches away. He leaned closer, to the point were Remi could feel the light wisps of his hair tickle her face.

They stood frozen in their gaze for what seemed like forever, but eventually the creep started to speak, repeating some words that Remi had no idea what language it could have been.

"W-wha..?"

" _ **Yhggrym Dəræ ghuj.**_ " His voice was crisp and deep, vibrating the small space keeping their faces from touching.

"H-huh?"

" _ **Yhggrym Dəræ ghuj."**_ A bandaged hand grabbed her chin. Thin fingers caressed her lips, unwrapping the bandages over his mouth. The bandages hung loosely across his neck, and Remi trashed violently, kicking and screaming. His grip tightened keeping her chin in place. He was smiling, and to her horror, rows of shark like teeth gleamed. He drew his mouth closer, suddenly prying her mouth forcefully open, and inhaled. His lips barely touched hers, but in confusion, Remi tried pulling back, to no avail... Oh god, he was trying to asphyxiate her in some kind of weird fetish, was all that was running through Remi's mind. The weird guy was still inhaling, to Remi's horror.

Her stomach seemed to want to jump out of her in fear, nausea- whatever the cause, it was starting to make her feel cold and sleepy. Her legs buckled under her, and black spots started to pop up in her vision, threatening to render her unconscious.

" **BACK THE FUCK UP, ASSHOLE!** " With sudden adrenaline rush strength, Remi sucker punched the side of the guy's head. White hot pain shot through her arm instantly, but she ignored it along with the weird vibe threatening to have her keeled over and dry heaving. The man's neck turned to the side sharply by the force of the punch, and Remi used this moment to haul her ass up, and go as fast as she could up the stairs, hoping the monks were home. She limped, breaths coming out in ragged short coughs as her feet seemed to bound up the stairs…

… She didn't even want to look back. She knew the creep was hot on her tail, only making her all the more striven to reach the Shrine and get help.

The wind seemed to howl now, forcing Remi to squint as dirt was picked up and got in her eyes. She screamed when she heard quick footsteps near her from behind. " _ **Holy shit, holy shit!**_ " Just a couple of more feet and she'd be at the top!

With a strained yell, she felt herself start to be tugged back. "Ah!" In the attempt to get herself free from his grasp, Remi managed to get out of her cardigan, and reached the top of the stairs, literally barrel rolling. " _I can't…_ " Her energy was spent. Remi doubted she could get back up, and turned to face her pursuer ready to kick and scream, claw even if it means she could get his DNA on her so that forensics could identify and arrest the fucker. The creep reached the top of the stairs, and Remi thought of how her mom and brother would react to her being gone.

… Would her brother cry? She was sure her mother would, but the younger Rosario was always poker faced, and hard to read. Her thoughts trailed to her ever busy father, who rarely spent time home from his many business trips and meetings. Maybe after her death, he would be there for her mother? She would need him for support after losing a child, after all.

The man was staring her down now, slowing down his pace as he reached the last couple of steps. " **Jha Seram fàhller ituan jhi…** " His eyes gleamed strangely, eyeing her down like some sort of object he owned. He was at the last step of the stairs, and Remi could only watch in horror his raised foot start to lower… Just one more step and he would be at the top.

… Then something strange happened.

Remi almost missed it. In her fight or flight state, she might not have realized it if it wasn't for the sudden flash of light almost reflect back in front of her. It hurt her eyes, having been staring in the direction, but when she opened them, the creep was still in the same position as before, this time with a scowl. His foot was still raised in the movement of stepping, but it had not connected with the top steps. He was shaking, as if some great force was preventing him from moving forward. In this time, Remi decided to get up and make her escape.

… Whatever force of god was doing this, obviously was helping her out. "…" She didn't even look back, already limping away. "Hello? Is anyone home?" Remi yelled, noticing the Shrine's doors were open. She peered in, calling out once more. "Hello?"

Several seconds passed by, but there was no answer. The monks were probably out. With a sigh, she let out a curse, immediately apologizing for using such language in a holy place.

 **Buzz.**

She jumped. Her phone buzzed, but she couldn't feel its vibration. Patting herself down, she realized it was in her cardigan, were it lay just a step from the top of the stairs. The creep was no where to be seen, but she cautiously walked towards the stairs, grabbing her cardigan so quick, she actually had ripped a small hole in it. Fumbling quickly to open it, while looking all around for the guy, she limped away from the steps and answered. "Hello?"

"Where are you? We were supposed to meet up for the stupid project."

Ah. "Urameshi." Remi sighed, still keeping an eye out in case the guy decided to come back. At least she now had a witness who would hear what would happen to her…

"Yeah, I didn't see you at school today, so I figured we wouldn't be able to finish it."

She heard Yusuke make some kind of noise in disagreement, before she heard him start to walk. "If you still want to work on the project, I'll be at the library."

"I'm actually kind of far from the school. I'm near my house."

"Oh. Well, maybe we'll work on it tomorrow." Panic struck Remi. She did _not_ want to be alone after what just happened.

"Actually, can you meet me at the Minamoto Shrine? I'll explain to you later when you get here, but I really don't want to be alone right now." She admitted, not caring that she was admitting such a thing to Urameshi. Surely he wouldn't be such an ass to deny a scared girl?

He was quiet, probably taken aback that she had said such a thing. "… Are you okay?" He asked dubiously, a strange tone in his words. "Cuz for you to say something like that to me, of all people…"

Remi rolled her eyes. "Just come get me, okay? I'm up at the Shrine. I- I think I broke a rib or something."

At this, she heard Urameshi quicken his pace. "I'll be there in a few. Just don't leave the Shrine, and try not to put too much pressure were it hurts. It's probably bruised or something, cuz you wouldn't be breathing if it really was broken."

"Ok." Was all that Remi said, wondering how Yusuke would know that.

* * *

To her surprise, Yusuke had gotten there faster than she had expected. Some hairs poked out from his usually gelled back hair, giving her the notion that he had ran towards the Shrine. She gave him a small wave, feeling a bit awkward that it was Urameshi who came to her rescue, as they were always arguing. They weren't exactly fond of each other. "Hey." She said lamely, looking at the ground.

"You look like shit." Yusuke commented, eyeing her ripped cardigan and dirtied clothes. "What the hell happened."

"…" She bit her lip.

"Well…" Yusuke trailed off, looking at her with a raised brow.

"It's nothing. _You probably wouldn't believe me anyways…_ "

"It was enough for you to ask me for help…" Yusuke had a point. "Now are you gonna tell me what the hell happened, or do I have to beat it outta you?"

"…" Remi winced. "… You're gonna think I'm crazy…" Yusuke sat down on the Shrine's porch next to her. "But some weird guy I saw hanging around our school chased me up here, acting all weird and shit. HE didn't look right, you know? Like if he didn't belong here, and had these weird sharp teeth… He chased me up here- that's how I hurt myself." Hearing her say that, a frown appeared on Yusuke's face. He got up, looking around.

"Do you know where he went?"

She shook her head. "No, he just disappeared. But There was something weird… I-I don't know how to explain it, but…. When he tried to reach the top of the stairs, it was like he couldn't. Like something was stopping him from entering here." Noticing his look, Remi laughed. "Told you it was weird. Anyway, I fell really hard, and my ribs hurt. I think I might've sprained my ankle too, but you can't really feel pain when you've got adrenaline rushing through your veins."

"…" Yusuke looked like he wanted to say something, but he only turned to her. Without a word, he kneeled down to her, staring at her straight in the eye.

"..?"

"… At any time… Did you feel nauseas or weak, like you wanted to pass out?"

"Uh, yeah…"

Yusuke said nothing.

"Hey, uh…" Remi trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

"Where did you get hurt."

"Right here."

"Let me see." Yusuke said, not realizing the implication of it.

"What, no way! I'm not wearing an undershirt!" Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"I'm not gonna pull anything, trust me."

Begrudgingly, Remi pulled her uniform shirt up a bit, wincing in pain. His hand pressed against her belly, feeling hot against her skin. She let out a small yelp when he pressed a sensitive spot. "Ow!"

"Well it's not broken." Yusuke finally commented, pulling her shirt down. "It's swelling up real bad though. The worst you're gonna get is an ugly bruise and tenderness for a couple of days, but you'll live." He helped her stand up. "Can you walk?" Her limping told him otherwise. "Okay, I'm taking you home." Remi didn't even have a chance to protest when Yusuke kneeled in front of her, strong arms picking her up in a piggy back. His hair smelled like sandalwood, she noted, probably his hair gel.

"Sorry for dragging you into this, Urameshi…" Remi muttered. Yusuke halted for a second, before resuming to go down the stairs. He didn't seem to be bothered by the extra weight. "I thought I was going to die…"

Yusuke coughed awkwardly, probably feeling that way as well. He was never too good at consoling. "Yeah, well you owe me one."

"… I know…"

* * *

Hey guys! Zee here. Well, I hope this chapter was good. It took me a while to edit, as this is probably the longest chapter so far…

From this chapter forward, I'd suggest readers to play close attention to small details in the story, as it will have deeper meaning later on.

On a different note, I passed my math midterms with flying colors! Yay! Felt the need to brag as I usually have to drag myself to a decent grade in the subject, always barely managing to pass just one point away from failing, lol.

… Look forward to the next chapter, as Shuuichi meets Remi's mom, and Remi meets the rest of the gang ( _well, who aren't currently M.I.A._ )

Till next time, loves! 3


	8. Chapter 8 Secrets

**A/N:**

 **Heeeeeey, guuuuuuys!**

 **Before any of you guys who have been following this story diligently try to castrate me for taking so long to update, I've legitimately have been busy with school, and life being a *itch. I was in a bit of a writer's block lately, as well as have been consumed into my school work so much, that I've literally lost all sense of time, lol. I'm sorry for not updating sooner! THis chapter is by far the longest to try and make up for my lack of updating, so i hope you guys enjoy! ;)**

* * *

Yusuke Urameshi. Although not well known as the savior of the three worlds, the current Spirit Detective's infamy had grown ever since the Last Dark Tournament. Many demons and apparitions knew well enough than to get on Spirit World's bad side, lest they wanted to meet the Spirit Detective. It was ridiculous, really- all of the folk lore many of the oldest demons and apparitions would tell their young was beginning to be twisted into some kind of morbid fairy tale.

He was said to be a ruthless killer who killed for sport, claiming that the only reason he was made Spirit Detective was because Spirit World was afraid to have him as an enemy. Others claimed Yusuke would pillage any city he visited, taking all of its riches for himself.

…

Regardless of all this, Yusuke did earn a level of respect, however minuscule when it came to the status of power and influence. With him being directly involved with the choosing of the current King, as well as having immense spiritual power- no one dared to pick his interest. Yusuke Urameshi currently was the most power being known to the three world's to date…

… And here he was, about to be a damn tour guide for a bunch of demons and apparitions visiting the Human World.

* * *

( **Botan Is Summoned:** )

Botan calmly entered Koenma's Office. Well, calmly was an understatement. The Grim Reaper honestly had no idea why he would want to summon her, of all people, and it had bothered her when he personally reached out to her instead of Jorge, or through the communicator. For Koenma to do such a thing meant something. "Lord Koenma sir, I got here as fast as I could. Is there something amiss?" She asked with a bow. Her curiosity was obvious in her words, not bothering to keep it out of her tone as she momentarily forgot her manners.

Koenma was seated in his too large of a throne, watching the blue haired girl with an unreadable look over him as he spoke. "… Take a seat Botan, I have to discuss something of the utmost importance with you. **Jorge.** " The ogre behind Botan straightened up at the call of his name.

"Yes sir?"

"I'd like for you to step out of the room, if you wouldn't mind. What I will be saying soon is of sensitive information, and I wouldn't want anyone other than the individuals involved to know." With a nod, Jorge left the office, locking the doors behind him.

Once Jorge left, Koenma picked up a folder on his desk, opening it as he spoke. "What I will now be speaking of is sensitive information that shall _**not**_ be spoken of outside of this room, do you understand?" It wasn't a question, and Botan nodded, her mood becoming serious. What the hell was going on..? "As you have spent a significant amount of time with our Spirit Detective, I have deemed it necessary for you to know about the current situation."

Botan was taken aback. She had not been expecting the topic of their conversation to be about him. "Is there something of the matter with Yusuke?" Worry threatened to show on her features, but the Grim Reaper maintained a level of composure proper enough for the situation.

… Whether she'd like to admit it or not, the dunderhead of a Spirit Detective and his entourage had caused her to grow a soft spot for them. She would even go as far as to call them _her_ friends. "Ever since the last Dark Tournament, I've been dissolved of him being my charge."

"Yes that's true, but I'd like for you to return to your original post as Yusuke's Spirit Aid. For the time being, I'll have one of your colleagues take over Reaper duties."

"May I be as bold as to ask why?" Frankly- Yusuke's soul was no longer in jeopardy of being stuck in limbo. Botan could see no reason for this. His spirit energy had long since surpassed what they all had predicted would be his spiritual limit. "Yusuke possesses the highest spirit power. I just don't understand why you want me to go back to being his Spirit Aid."

"… I spoke with him earlier, and he was very upset over Hiei and Kuwabara still missing. Those two have yet to be found. Their spiritual energy cannot be traced beyond the edge of the demon world, where the two were last heard of. That area has yet to be ventured out, as it's too dangerous and houses the oldest, most volatile demons that even we don't disturb. Who knows what those two encountered out there…"

Botan was quiet for a while, taking in the new information. "… Yusuke- no, he wouldn't."

"He's threatening to go rouge." Botan gasped.

With the possibility of their current Spirit Detective going rouge, it would throw Spirit World into disarray. The whole concept of a Spirit detective depended upon the individual with immense spiritual energy to be the catalyst between those who opposed the good intentions of the king. Although Spirit Detectives were under strict rules and regulations, they were the only thing keeping the peace between the three worlds…

… If Yusuke really did rebel- there wouldn't be no hell on Earth, Spirit, _**OR**_ Demon World that could guarantee a punishment as severe as a Spirit Detective marked as a traitor. That hadn't happened in nearly two decades. It took them two decades just to find someone with as much spiritual energy as Yusuke to appoint as the Spirit Detective. And that wasn't even intentional. The discovery of Yusuke's immense spiritual energy was accidental! Botan stood up from her seat, her gaze steady. "… I understand, Lord Koenma sir. I will do everything within my power to ensure that Yusuke Urameshi does not rebel against Spirit World. But if I may do a suggestion, my lord." Koenma glanced at her, intrigued with Botan's suddenness. He motioned his head for her to continue. "… Two of Yusuke's friends are currently M.I.A. I can't imagine the immense pain and guilt he must be going through. He's worried for their safety, and as far as I'm aware of, hasn't been able to get close enough to our person of interest, the Rosario girl. I'm not saying that he's incapable of doing his job, but with what happened to his friends, don't you think that he's a bit distracted?" Botan reasoned.

"While I do agree on some parts Botan, I don't have any other person I can pass this on to. Kurama is already involved. I have Sayuri watching over the anomalies in the Human World in case anyone tries to slip by unnoticed, but she cannot directly interact with the girl, and neither is she omnipotent. My man power is already stretched at its thin. And with Yusuke, I don't think I can handle the situation for very long. Out of all the Spirit Detective's I have worked with, he's by far the most stubborn. It's as if he repels against directions by nature."

"What about the files on our Rosario girl? Surely there must be something we have on her that the thief forgot to steal." She said, referring to Remi Rosario's file having gone missing without a trace or a suspect. "Who in the world could have taken them..? It's not as if that room has any doors anyway- the only 'entrance' is to have your spirit energy signature match up with the scanner. All spiritual energy is unique. It's a fool proof device!"

"At least that's what I thought it to be…" Koenma muttered, letting out a sigh. ""There's nothing on the surveillance tapes, and we don't even know just how long those files have been missing. Only you, Jorge, and I have access to that room."

Botan sighed, feeling defeated. "… I highly doubt Yusuke would ever do such a thing as treason the Spirit World!" She countered. "For the time I have known him, not once has he shown to be capable of committing such an act. Yusuke is someone who puts the wellness of thousands of people first, then his own."

"Yes, Yusuke has proven to be more valuable than any other Spirit Detective we have had… He's saved the three world's countless of times, and yet very few know more than his involvement beyond the Dark Tournaments." With a sigh, Koenma close the file. All of this was causing him a bad migraine. "What happened twenty years ago… I just don't want a repeat of that."

"Ah… Yes." Botan muttered, melancholy hitting her. The last Spirit Detective committed treason. NO one knew his whereabouts, or if he was even still alive. Because of this, Spirit World fell victim of corruption, and violence. That cannot happen ever again. "… Sir- _have faith in Yusuke._ No matter the situation, he's proven to make the right choice when no one else could. He'll pull through this. _I just know it._ "

"… I hope you're correct about that, Botan…"

* * *

 **( Meeting Remi's Mom:)**

 _ **Es un honor en conorcerla, Señora Rosario. Yo soy Shuuichi Minamino. Buen placer en conocerla."**_

" _ **Ooh…"**_

Ms. Rosario's eyes were glued to the young man besides her daughter. He bowed deeply, and she smiled as the two stood on her front porch, Remi sending her a small look of awkwardness. "So, uh- can we come in already, mom?" Her voice sounded as awkward as she must've felt. Ms. Rosario stood blank faced for a moment, the thought of the young man's red hair, and whether or not it was natural or a dye flashed through her mind, before she grinned, ushering them inside.

"Remi, you never told me your tutor could speak _Spanish!_ " She gushed, glancing over at Shuuichi who chuckled. Remi inwardly groaned, wanting the introduction to her mom to be over with already… It was going to be a long day.

"You never asked." Was all she replied.

"Well, you're Spanish is spot on, Shuuichi-kun." The older Rosario praised. .

"Thank you, though I must be honest- I haven't quite mastered the language completely." Shuuichi said, following Remi and her mother as they led him to their dining room. "You have a beautiful home."

Remi's mother smiled. Once they entered the Dining Room, Ms. Rosario offered Shuuichi her best plates and utensils, eyes twinkling with mirth. "It's been a while since I had company over, so don't mind me too much Shuuichi-kun! I'm just excited my daughter actually has friends besides my husband's coworker's children." Remi's eye twitched.

Shuuichi chuckled. "Oh? Is that so?"

Clearing he throat, Remi pretended it was just like any other day, grabbing her own plates and utensils as her mom served her food. Her eye widened, however. Half of the food was Spanish dishes she recognized, while the rest were traditional Japanese food, she noted. Her mother had wanted Shuuichi to feel as culturally comfortable as possible. "…"

Once everything was situated, Remi idly watched her mother settle to stare at them from across the table, with a smile that could break faces. "So Shuuichi-kun, how is it that you know my daughter? Remi mentioned to me that you're from Meiou Academy, but that's on the other side of town?"

"Ah, well we sort of bumped right into one another during the first day of school. I was in the area, and Rosario-san had dropped her phone. After some time I managed to return it back to her. I learned she needed help with Kanji, whilst I offered to tutor her." Shuuichi looked over at Remi with a small smile. Something told her that, that Shuuichi was well aware of her mother's interest, and the meaning behind her wry smile.

" _Oh my._ " Ms. Rosario exclaimed. "Well doesn't that sound like straight out of a shoujo manga…" She laughed airily, all while enjoying her daughter's increasing comfortableness.

Shuuichi chuckled, lowering the tea cup away from his mouth. "Ah, doesn't it."

"Maybe you should get some water or tea, _**MOM.**_ "

Ms. Rosario only ignored her daughter. "Now, about this trip over the weekend…" She scooted her chair closer, intertwining her hands. "Who exactly is going with you guys, and where?"

"We will be going to Takeda Amusement Park in Tokyo. There will be four others, three of which are very close friends of mine and a friend of Remi's I have yet to meet. Ah, if it will help, I can forward you their contact info, Ms. Rosario. Perhaps a meeting with all of them will help."

"Oh, you mean Otoni! Yeah, he's the only one crazy enough to stick around my daughter so much, hahaha! Oh no, that's alright, I just wanted to make sure my daughter will be in great hands. I'm sure if they're very good friends of yours, my little mocosa will be just fine! You're quite the gentleman, Shuuichi-kun… I'm sure any friends of yours are just as well behaved as you!" Remi's mom praised him, causing him to laugh while the hand still gripping his tea cup shook. "Your mother must be so proud to have such a well-mannered, cute child. I bet you're quite popular with the girls!"

Shuuichi shook his head, still laughing. " **OH NO-** " Shuuichi vehemently denied. "- It's quite the opposite, actually, hahaha!"

Remi, who had been silent during this whole exchange, at her food quietly, trying not to bring any attention to her. ' _If only they knew about the lie I told those nosy girls at school about Shuuichi being gay, hahahahaha!_ '

… Things were going smoothly so far. Her mom hadn't said anything too weird, and she'd kept her involvement to a minimum, since she had no idea what o even say. For a moment, Remi wished Otoni was here. The raven always knew how to diffuse awkward situations. Speaking of the raven, Remi had left him a voicemail earlier on, but the boy had never responded. ' _What the hell could he be doing-_ '

"- So Remi dear, what do you think?"

Remi was pulled back out of her thoughts, looking wide eyed at her mother. Had she missed something? Remi cursed at herself inwardly. "Uh, yeah, sounds good, sure." A pretty generic answer. Would totally not let her mom know she hadn't been listening.

Her mom brought her hands together, obviously pleased with her answer. "Then it's settled! I'll drive you guys there."

…

… Come again?

Remi started to open her mouth in protest, but realized it actually wasn't such a bad plan after all. It would be much faster than taking a nearly two hour train to Tokyo.

The sound of a door closing interrupted them. "I'm home."

Remi looked back to see her brother pass the Dining room towards the couch, hearing her younger brother sling his backpack haphazardly towards somewhere before making his way to them. He halted in his tracks however, when he realized Shuuichi's presence. With burrowed brows, Cecilio spoke. "… Did I miss something… Never mind, I don't care." Was all he said before he seemingly lost interest, leaving abruptly. Remi rolled her eyes. Leave it to her brother to make such an… _impressionable_ first meeting…

* * *

( **Concerning The Spirit Detective; Koenma's Otherwordly Tour:** )

 _ **["Don't ever lose sight of any one of them, you hear? It's important they're under supervision at all times. While they may seem harmless, I won't tolerate any visitors to the Human World causing any mischief with their shenanigans…"]**_

Yusuke was _pissed_. He leaned against the cold metal railing of the station, eyes scanning around for the damn group of demons and apparitions he was supposed to babysit until the end of the week. It was fucking annoying- he had been waiting for almost an hour, but his damn tour were nowhere to be seen. Koenma had provided him with detailed information, as well as the before and after images of each demon and apparition's human disguise.

He was told to be prompt and early. Having arrived an hour earlier, Yusuke was getting fed up with waiting. He was never good with that.

' _Ten more minutes._ ' He thought to himself, crossing his arms in front of him. ' _If, they're not here by then, I'm getting the fuck outta here._ 'It was getting cold out now, and his light green sweater did nothing after being outside for an hour. A few more minutes passed by, and Yusuke decided he had enough. Pilling away from the railing, Yusuke looked around the Station one last time before letting out a scoff. It was near rush hour, he noted, passing by dozens of people trying to get to work or school. The boy just ignored them all, heading back home since his mother probably still was out from her nightly prowl to the pub, but that didn't matter to him. He didn't feel like going to school today. "Well I waited." He muttered darkly, digging his hands into his jean pockets. "Not my fault their asses didn't show up." Yusuke scoffed again, but stopped in his tracks when he saw a group of strangely dressed people standing in the middle of the Station platform, looking just as out of place as the outdated clothing they wore. It took Yusuke a couple of minutes watching this weird entourage to realize they were the same group he was supposed to be waiting for. Taking out the file Koenma had given him, his suspicions were confirmed when he recognized one of the faces. "Holy shit." The words came out before Yusuke could stop himself.

"? Well, if it isn't the Urameshi boy!" A familiar voice called out. Yusuke watched as a bubbly red head jogged to him, giving the Spirit Detective a tight shoulder hug as he laughed.

Not expecting the hug, Yusuke's legs buckled slightly, but he grinned widely as he greeted the man. "Well that's one hell of a hello, Jin." He commented, watching the Wind Demon's eyes light up with mirth. Steadily, Jin's ears became pointed, something the Wind Demon had to pull his hat lower to hide as he was now in the Human World.

"It's so nice to see ya again, Urameshi!" Jin said loudly. "It's been two years, almost, eh?"

"How's everyone doing? You guys staying outta trouble?" Yusuke joked, smirking at the glint of mischief in Jin's eyes at this.

"Why Urameshi, do I look like the troublin' type…" Jin stuck his tongue out. "But in all serious though, everyone's been wondering what'cha been up to lately. We haven't seen much of ya and the others after the last Dark Tournament ya were in."

"Well, apparently being a damn tour guide. That damn baby breath's got me babysitting demons and apparitions visiting the Human World. What are you doing here, anyway?" He asked.

"I heard they were lettin' people through to the Human World, so I got curious and wanted to see what all the talk was about for myself! " Jin answered, looking around in awe at the large building nearby. "How do they expect me to get around with all those tall houses?!" Yusuke rolled his eyes, leaning in closer.

"C'mon, you know you can't fly here Jin. Didn't they tell you the rules or something." Jin shook the comment away.

"EH, it was too long and boring." Shaking his head, Jin and Yusuke walked up to the rest of the group, who had been watching quietly from a distance. "Guys this is Yusuke Urameshi, a good friend o' mines!"

"Urameshi..?" a voice whispered in recognition, casting Yusuke a fearful look.

"…" Yusuke didn't say anything, but looked ahead with a blank face, recognizing that these people obviously know just what he meant to Spirit World.

Jin's smile slowly faded, not really understanding why the others were looking at his friend that way, but nether less he tried to cheer up the weird atmosphere around them. "Now why'ja all look so gloom for?" The Wind Demon asked. "Just a minute ago y'all were excited being here!"

"It's cuz of me." Yusuke suddenly said.

Jin raised a brow. "And why's that, Urameshi?"

"Wind Demon…" Yusuke looked at the old man with the graying beard and cane. Although to those who were oblivious to the truth, the man looked like any old senior citizen, but Yusuke knew better than that. Underneath the old man disguise, was strong demonic energy waving off the guy like some kind of cheap perfume. No matter how hard Koenma tried to hide their otherworldly spiritual energy, Yusuke still had picked up on it. The man looked at him with hate, not bothering to hide it at all. "How are you friends with the Spirit Detective? He's a ruthless killer- no disgusting _**human**_ has any business with us."

An eye twitch. And Yusuke was triggered. "Well ' _old_ ' man- this disgusting human's the only thing keeping your ass from getting on Spirit World's bad side!" They all looked shocked, clearly not expecting the Spirit Detective to speak in such a way. "You came to visit- for _what_ , _**I don't give as fuck**_ \- but this is my turf. We play by my rules, and I'm not gonna let any one of ya cause trouble, ya hear? I don't care what Koenma told you… I'm not getting my ass chewed out cuz of some idiots try'na cause some mischief in my world. Either you deal with me, or go home. Now… Who wants to see Tokyo Tower?"

"…" Silence.

"…"

A young demon child raised his hand up. "I heard that Humans eat their own offspring when they don't want it. Do you eat babies?"

"…" Yusuke was taken aback. His features twisted into a scowl, as he crossed his arms, a little annoyed the kid actually asked him some weird shit like that. "WHAT- _**NO,**_ the fuck? We don't' eat babies. Why the hell would you believe something so stupid?!" The boy shrunk back.

"Well, that's what my big bro told me!" The kid shot back, looking dejected. Yusuke breathed in deeply, trying to will himself to calm down, as he answered the kid slowly.

"Like I said the first time- **We**. **Don't. Eat. Babies.** "

"What about virgins?" Someone else called out. "Do you still sacrifice them for rituals and stuff?"

"What?! Who the hell's telling you all these things!"

"I heard Humans have invented this spell in a box that captures your soul if you stand in front of it…" Gasp, they all murmured among themselves.

"That's scary!"

Yusuke groaned. "You mean a camera? NO, cameras take pictures, not capture your soul." Taking out his cellphone, Yusuke raised it up for everyone to see. "This is a cellphone." He said slowly, letting everyone gather around him in awe at the strange box he held. Even the old man who had insulted Yusuke earlier seemed to have his interest piqued at the strange thing. Although he stood farther back than the rest. "It can also take pictures. You can call other people you know, and sometimes, those people change their numbers and forget to let you know. So when you do call them, expecting to hear their voice, you instead get a stranger, cuz they forgot to tell you they have a new number. _**Keiko.**_ "

"What's a Keiko?"

" _IT CAN STEAL VOICES TOO?!_ "

"No." Ugh, this was getting annoying. "Look." Flipping his phone open, they watched the Spirit Detective press on the strange device, until a beep was heard. "Right now, my cellphone's recording what I'm saying. It can't steal souls, looks, or voices, okay? It can record pictures, and sounds, and also lets you be able to talk and text other people. You also can go on the Internet." Yusuke pressed a button, and everyone gasped as his voice started coming from the cellphone.

"whoah…" Clearly they were impressed. "I didn't know Humans were this advanced…"

"What's the Internet?" The boy from earlier asked, causing Yusuke to blink in stupor.

"… Today's gonna to be a long day…"

(A Couple Of Hours Later:)

"- Are you sure it's alright for me to be here…" Shuuichi's voice echoed slightly as he entered behind Remi, feeling awkward to be in her room whilst her mother was just downstairs. Standing close to the frame of her door, he smiled faintly as the girl let out a little laugh, smirking as she waved him in.

"Seriously Shuuichi." She joked, raising a brow suggestively. "What kind of girl do you take me for?"

"Ah- I apologi-" Remi interrupted him, shaking her head with a smile.

"- It was a joke. I did promise to show you my little makeshift garden, right? It's on my balcony." Walking to her bed, Remi smoothed out any wrinkles on her bed sheets as she turned to open the balcony window. "Make yourself at home, Shuuichi. And yes, it's okay to sit on my bed."

Shuuichi joined her, peering out the room towards the balcony. His eyes met with the sight of many flowers, and vines growing in ceramic pots. Some of the vines had grown well past their pots, winding and twisting along the railing of the balcony like a network of veins. They were all moderately taken good care of, albeit their colors a little washed out than normal, but one particular flower caught his eye.

Remi had a miniature Sakura Blossom tree, but it's petals were weak and dull, drooping slightly downwards as a slight breeze ruffled them. Shuuichi immediately got closer, carefully handling the plant as he inspected it closer. "This one seems as if it isn't doing as well as the others." He said, not noticing Remi's embarrassed look cross quickly on her face.

"Yeah, I don't know why. I mean it's not like I have a green thumb or anything, but this one's always been like that ever since I got it. It actually used to be my cousin's, but she gave it to me when I moved here from the States. Ever since then, it's like the plant's sick all the time. I don't know what to do with it anymore."

It didn't take Shuuichi long before he found the root of the cause for the dying flower. Root, being quite the literal word. "I believe the problem is over watering." Shuuichi said, causing Remi to look back at him.

"AH- how can you tell?" She asked curiously, peering over his shoulder.

Shuuichi motioned for her to get closer, lightly pressing on the soil. It acted like a sponge, going back to its original shape. "The soil is unnaturally moist. The roots are starting to rot because it cannot absorb all of the water. It'll die if it's not corrected quickly."

"Oops, I'm to blame for that, then…" Remi said sheepishly, looking embarrassed. "Is there any way to fix it?"

Shuuichi nodded. "I would need something to absorb all of the water out of the pot, as well as some cotton balls." Remi nodded.

"Okay, hold on I'll be right back." Remi left.

Shuuichi let out a small sigh, turning back to the sickly plant. "She means well." Shuuichi said to no one in particular, delicately brushing his fingertips along the plant. A faint green glow emerged from his hand, surrounding the plant almost completely. He sensed no one near, so he momentarily let his energy slip. With his other hand, Shuuichi took something out from his hair, infusing it with the plant. The green glow faded, and Shuuichi resumed observing the plant like earlier, satisfied with the now stronger energy it was giving out. "There." The plant seemed to vibrate with life, looking slightly better than it had before. "She really does mean well, but sometimes that can be a bad thing. Well little one, you should start to feel gradually better as time goes by." Shuuichi said lowly under his breath, smiling softly. He heard footsteps approaching, and looked back to see Remi holding a roll of paper towels and cotton balls. Shuuichi almost laughed then. It wasn't needed, but Shuuichi accepted it regardless…

… It wasn't exactly a lie he gave her… Shuuichi had honestly meant for her to leave as he would heal the plant with his spiritual energy. Of course- he couldn't risk her seeing that.

Thanking the girl, Shuuichi grabbed the paper towels, placing them under the pot along with the cotton balls. "This will absorb the extra water."

"I feel really bad." Remi said, frowning a little. "I was practically killing it, I'm horrible."

Shuuichi offered her a small smile, shaking his head in disagreement. "Not necessarily true, Rosario-san." Shuuichi commented off-handedly, placing the plant back in its original spot. "You wanted it to grow, so you gave it water. You most likely weren't aware that bonsai plants don't require as much water as its normal sized version. Not your fault."

"…" Remi smiled, feeling less guilty about drowning her plants after Shuuichi's words. "Thanks, Shuuichi." The two left the balcony. "Do you want to stay a bit longer? We could watch a movie or something. If you're not in a rush to go home…" She sounded hopeful.

Shuuichi smiled. "A movie would be splendid."

"I hope there's something supernatural, like about ghosts or something on. They're my fave."

"Oh, do you believe in the paranormal, Rosario-san?"

"? Well I don't know. When I see a ghost, you'll be the first to know." Remi joked. "Who knows what's out there waiting for humans to find out about them. Or maybe- we haven't found out about them because they **don't** _ **want**_ to be found? Same goes for demons." Remi settled into her seat besides Shuuichi on her bed. It suddenly dawned on Shuuichi just how strange the two of them must have seemed.

… Here was a boy with a soul thousands of years old alone in a room- ( _a girl's_ _ **bedroom**_ _, mind you_ ) with a human girl discussing demons and the paranormal. Unknowing that the seemingly human teenage boy was actually one of the _very_ beings being discussed. The irony in that was laughable.

"Do _you_ believe, Shuuichi?" The question was now turned to him.

… How should he answer that? Pick at her curiosity by answering yes, or doing what he should do, by saying know and diminishing any interest she held. Shuuichi was at a loss. A yes or no question, with limitless possibilities for an answer. Such a notion made Shuuichi want to burst out in laughter.

A familiar prick within him made him aware of his demonic energy stirring, attracted to the idea of mischief. My- he was almost tempted to show her the truth!

" **No.** " Shuichi firmly said, not entirely sure if it was to himself, or an answer to Remi's question. He stared intently at the screen, ignoring the slow, growing demonic energy threatening to spill out. His toes curled tightly within his shoes, but Shuuichi remained calm as ever. "Everything happens for a reason. There is a cause and effect that governs all." Remi said nothing, taking in Shuuichi's words as she stared on at him. "Though that is just my own thoughts- there are things within this world that exceeds the explainable…" He was staring at her now.

Shuuichi paused for a moment, before continuing. "Have you ever felt anything… Strange? As in a weird feeling, or something similar to Goosebumps." Arm's length from each other, Remi flipped through channels before settling on a movie. The channel changed right as the face of a terrified young woman screeched in horror as the creature from Alien vs. Predator shoved a tube like tentacle down her throat. Shuuichi was a bit amused at her choice of movie, not having expected the girl to be a fan of the gruesome and macabre.

After a while, Remi answered him. "… Uh, well- sure, yeah- sometimes." The tone in Remi's voice bothered Shuuichi for some reason. It was strained, and lower than her usual pitch. _"… You're going to think I'm crazy…"_ Remi blurted out, no longer paying attention to the movie although she never took her eyes off the screen. "But… Sometimes I feel this weird jolt in my body whenever I'm around certain people…" Her eyes met with Shuuichi, and for some reason- she felt nervous. As if he wasn't the one she should be saying these kinds of things to. "… It doesn't always happen, but around large crowds, is like certain people cause the jolt to feel stronger, almost to the point I get sick. Like when you get electrocuted, or something like that… Ugh, never mind, I told you it was weird-"

Shuuichi interrupted. "- No, continue."

"Well, this feeling has always followed me around. But it's gotten wore once I moved to Japan."

Shuuichi's eyes narrowed. ' _Of course. Japan is one of the few geographical areas in which the connection between the three worlds is the strongest._ ' He thought. "Does this feeling scare you?" He asked softly, ignoring the screams and sounds of gore in the background.

"I don't know. Sometimes it just happens out of nowhere, and it surprises me. Sometimes it's so strong, I feel like it's gonna make me so sick, I'll die. But I ignore it. I've already seen a Doctor, and they can't find anything wrong, so I try not to pay it attention when it happens."

Remi felt her cheeks flare up, but didn't break their gaze regardless of how awkward it felt. Something about the way Shuuichi looked made her pause, and want to blurt out about the thing she saw Yusuke do, and that weird encounter at the shrine-

"- is something wrong?" His voice suddenly brought her out of her dazed state. She stutters, cursing inwardly at her sudden inability to speak. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Uh, no, no…" She said that a little too forcefully. "Sorry- I don't even know how exactly we got on this topic."

"…" Shuuichi suddenly took the remote out of her hands, muting the movie as he turned his body towards her. "Did something happen to you." It wasn't a question. His brows burrowed in concern. "Is someone bothering you?"

"What? No, why would you think that?"

"Because your eyes tell me otherwise…"

"…"

"…"

"… Shuuichi…" Remi sighed. "Fine." At this, Shuuichi leaned in closer. "… I thought I was just being paranoid."

"What is."

"A couple of days ago during that storm- I saw some creep around my school. We just happened to lock eyes, but as I was walking home, the creep suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Ugh, it was just so freaking strange, I don't even know how to explain what he tried to do!" She suddenly blurted out. "It was like he was trying to suffocate me while sucking face-" Shuuichi's cheeks stained a light pink at the girl's choice of words. "-but it wasn't like he was trying to suck face, he friggin' _**INHALED.**_ Like _what the hell?!_ It was so weird!" He let her continue. "I was near that shrine nearby, and managed to get away. I tried to see if any of the monks where around, and barely managed to get to the top of the stairs when that weirdo tried to pull me back- _probably to shove me down the stairs and break my neck or something…"_ She mumbled the last part. "Shuuichi, when he tried to get to the top step- _**it was like he couldn't. Like if there was, like- a force filed or something stopping him from stepping on the Shrine's grounds.**_ "

Shuuichi frowned. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Remi was quiet for a while. "… I didn't want to burden anyone with this. A classmate of mines knows only because I called him freaked out, to come get me that day." Realizing her mistake, Remi quickly added. "We're not friends or anything, but his was the first number I saw. I would've called you…"

"I'm sorry, it shouldn't matter whether or not you would call." Shuuichi said, ignoring the fact that Yusuke had no mention of this the last time they spoke. "What matters is that you're safe." Remi nodded, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Yeah… Although it's a funny coincidence, Shuuichi." Remi's words confused the redhead. His head tilted slightly, not sure what the girl was getting at.

"Pardon?"

Remi met his gaze again, her dull grey eyes seemingly boring into his uncomfortably. "… My classmate asked me the same thing you did after it happened…" Shuuichi kept his composure, although apprehension slowly creeped up within his thoughts. "You mentioned you had a friend who also goes to my school. I wouldn't happen to know him, would I?"

"It is a very small school. Perhaps you two have met." Shuuichi answered. "My friend and his fiancé will also be joining us over the weekend."

… _**Fiancé?!**_ Remi blinked, taken aback at the news. "He's a student at my school? I don't know a lot of people from Sarayashiki, but news like _that_ definitely would've gotten around school."

"Ah- while he isn't exactly known to be discreet, I believe he must have not told anyone for the sole purpose of avoiding gossip at school."

That made sense. With a school such as Sarayashiki, the gossip about one of their students engaged would've been the talk of the century, and probably wouldn't die down any time soon. "Well, I wish your friend congratula-" Remi abruptly stopped, realization suddenly hitting her.

…

… She saw Shuuichi and _**Yusuke**_ talking that day. Was Shuuichi referring to _**Urameshi**_?! Holy crap- NO WAY! No way was Yusuke _engaged_! Like, who would want to marry that gorilla?!

Shuuichi raised a brow. "Rosario san?"

"Hmn? Uh- yeah, s-sorry." Remi smiled. "You know, we're missing the movie."

Shuuichi looked like he wanted to say more, but nodded as the two resumed watching the screen. His thoughts however, centered around the fact that Remi asked him about who his friend was. He was sure she didn't know, after all he could think of no such time he and the Spirit Detective met, for Remi to have been able to see them. Yet, the look in her eyes held something that made Shuuichi doubt his own thoughts. This girl, Remi Rosario- did she know more than he believed her to be aware of?

* * *

( **An Old Friends Visits Otoni:** )

Otoni looked at the pile of paperwork set in front of him, face void of any emotion as the man across from him blew smoke from his pipe. His eyes traced the room, melancholy rising as he realized he was in the old Rosario Residence back in New York. "I'd like to ask you how you managed to get these, but I don't think I want to know the answer." Otoni finally replied, looking straight at the man he hasn't seen for almost two decades. "You've aged a bit, _Faust. What's it been, 20 years?_ "

The man chuckled, a deep baritone filling in the silence around them. Dark leather boots tapped against the bottom of the dear table. "I have my ways." Faust answered cryptically, tipping his hat lower. "And you, Otoni, look younger than the last time I've seen you." Faust grinned at him from under his hat, an inside joke between the two 20 years in the making. "It's great to see you again."

At this Otoni let a small smile grace his lips. "Same here. 20 years ago, I had the body of a 30 something year old. Now i'm 17 again, go figure. You asked me to seal the spirit energy in her, and I had no choice but to give up most of my demonic energy so that our cover isn't blown and found out by Spirit World."

"Yes, that was the only way you could have crossed over to the Human World without going on their radar. And it's worked better than I would have expected. I'm surprised the seal you have on Remi lasted as long as it did in keeping her energy hidden. Even with most of your demonic energy gone, you still have great power left." Otoni ignored him, sending the man a pointed look as his patience started running thin.

 _"Why did you summon me here, Faust."_

"You demons are always straight to the point." Faust chuckled, leaning his elbows on the table. "I think you know why i'm here, Otoni."

"I can guess as to why. These are Spirit World's files on Remi, isn't it. You managed to steal the only thing that was once considered to be un-stealable."

Faust nodded, his pipe already dying out. He shook the ash out of it, placing it on the cedar table in front of him. "Correct you are, boy. Do you want to know how I got it?"

"I'm not interested in knowing why." Otoni muttered, Handing the files back. "I have no need for these. Shouldn't you be worried they'll be able to trace it back to you?" Faust scoffed.

"Impossible." He said. "I've been gone from their existence for the past 20 years, for them to even suspect me would be stupid on their part. They didn't even realize the files were gone for years. Remi and I have no known connection- I made sure of it."

"…" Otoni sighed, stretching his legs. "Aren't you tired of living a life in hiding, Faust. When I first agreed to this 20 years ago, I didn't imagine for this to drag on as long as it did, with not much excitement going on."

"Otoni- "

"- It's messed up." Their eyes met. "She deserves to know the truth, Faust."

"My- isn't that kind-hearted for _you_ to say, Otoni. Considering the terms for our agreement." Faust paused, his graying raven hair brushing against his lashes. "That girl is destined to be hunted down by that clan of maniacs for the rest of her life as long as she holds that stolen energy."

"The same energy _you_ stole from _him. You had no idea what you were messing with... No way of knowing that the energy you stole would bind with your new born child like that._ " Otoni said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "It's pretty fucking hilarious, actually. You stole it in the first place to save the world, and instead put your own daughter in danger, committed treason against Spirit World, which in turn part of the reason the Spirit Barrier going crazy is because of her, putting the world in danger again. You tried to save this world, but ended up digging it into an even deeper hole of shit. Nice."

"Our agreement still stands Otoni." Faust said coldly, eyeing him down.

" _Don't fuck with me, Faust._ " Otoni's tone held malice, as he felt his temper rise again. " _Part of it was that you'd get rid of this damn curse._ " Otoni stuck his tongue out, revealing a strange marking etched on it. The seal seemed to move, symbols rotating around in an infinite circle.

"I know."

There was silence between the two. Otoni closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "… What are you going to do with those files."

A smirk slowly crept on his thin lips. "Burn them, of course."

"By the way, you never told me why you left your family. You could've hid in plain sight. There was no need to wipe all of their memories of you. Nor brainwash a random stranger into believe he's Remi's biological Father-" Otoni looked up, but knew the man wouldn't answer. "… Jeez, 20 years and you still haven't changed Faust. Still ghosting people like hell…" Otoni muttered under his breath, standing up.

… Faust was long gone, not having left a trace of himself anywhere aithin the old Rosario home. Otoni stepped out of the house, noting the building looked as if it were still in the same condition the Rosario's had left it in before their move to Japan. Looking around the old neighborhood, Otoni let out a long sigh. "He could've at least sent me back to Japan, that prick…"

… It was going to be a long journey home.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **On the next chapter of Heart of Thorns:**

 **The gang are headed towards Takeda Amusement Park. Yusuke hasn't been completely open with Shuuichi, omitting things regarding Remi. It seems that Team Urameshi is falling apart at its seams, and no one can do anything to stop the boiling turmoil threatening to happen.**

 **... Will An encounter between Shuuichi and Otoni occur now that it's confirmed Otoni is the one with the faint demonic aura?**

 **Until next time!3**


	9. Chapter 9 Trip To Takeda Pt I

**A/N:**

 **I'm baaack! Don't hurt me, lol! So this chappie is extra-long to make up for the two years of hiatus, lmao. I actually had to split this chapter into two parts (this one is about 15,800 words long!)**

 **Please leave a review, cuz reviews are always nice to read!**

* * *

" **Stop pretending your asleep. I know you're awake, Remi.** "

Remi sighed, opening her eyes as she sat up on her bed, casting Otoni a glare. " _Well good morning to you too_ …" She mumbled, reluctantly pulling back her comforter and getting up from bed. Otoni in turn rolled his eyes, not even bothering to reply as he plopped down at the edge of her bed.

…

… Ms. Rosario greeted her them as the two entered the dining room, a large plate of scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, and bacon already set on the table for them. "Did you not sleep or something?" Her mother was quick to notice her sluggishness, raising a brow as she momentarily looked at her daughter.

"No, actually." The raven girl admitted, letting out a yawn. "I guess I was too excited, I couldn't sleep." At this, Otoni laughed… That was _soo_ like her.

"I'm glad you got here though, Otoni. When you didn't answer my texts, I wasn't sure you'd make it." Remi raised a brow, asking to know what he was doing without having to say the words out loud.

"I was working."

"Working." Remi repeated, as if it was the first time she'd heard of the word. "Since when did you get a job?"

"Last month."

"…" Remi glared at him, a bit miffed at the vagueness he was giving off. She wanted to know why he didn't mention anything of the sort, but she eventually chose to let it go.

"… Whatever..."

Otoni didn't answer, choosing to scoop some scrambled eggs and bacon unto his plate.

* * *

Shiori honestly had not been expecting to see her son already up and eating breakfast as she entered the kitchen, the boy seated on one of the kitchen island's stools. Shuuichi put down the newspaper he was reading, greeting his mother with a pleasant smile as she approached him. "Good morning, mother. I made breakfast for you already."

"You're up so early, Shuuichi-kun." His mother marveled, taking note of the pot of freshly brewed coffee, and plate of omelets near him. "I thought you said your friend wouldn't be picking you up until 7:30." She gratefully took the cup of coffee Shuuichi poured for her, momentarily losing herself in its aromatic scent.

"Yes, I wanted to pack some last minute items before I would leave." He answered, resuming reading the newspaper once more.

"Ah, I see." Shiori looked down at her cup before speaking up again. "Are you sure you'll be okay staying over Tokyo?" She asked tentatively, maternal worry laced over her words. "When you asked me for permission to go on the trip, I was a bit surprised, to be honest. But it's only for the weekend, and it's not like you're going alone after all… Just… Just be careful, honey."

"I will, mother. There's no need to worry." Shuuichi assured. "Kuwabara's older sister Shizuru is coming with us, if it is adult supervision you are worried about." Shiori smiled briefly, shaking her head.

"No, it's not that." She became quiet, unsure of how to phrase her next words. "… Your friend that you invited… Ah- how should I say this..?" A blush spread on Shiori's cheeks, pressing her hands against it as she laughed airily. "You never introduced me to friends outside of the ones you already hang out with… Well, umm- you did tell me a bit about her, but I'm still really curious. She's not a friend you have met with Yusuke and the others is she?"

Shuuichi put down his paper. "I have only known her since the beginning of the school year, yes."

"… Is she your girlfriend?" Her voice was soft, almost as if she didn't want to say it out loud.

Shuuichi suddenly covered his mouth with the back of his hand, resisting the urge to laugh as the flustered look on his mother's face darkened, fanning herself.

"It's a bit ironic, mother. You asked me the same thing when you met first met Shizuru." His tone was light and humorous, obviously finding the situation interesting.

A look of sheer embarrassment flashed across her features, before she cleared her throat. "I- it's just that you always act so mature, Shuuichi-kun. You never showed interest in girls from your school, so I thought it was because you might have been into older women…"

"Yes." Shiori's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "… Rosario-san is a friend. A girl who is a friend, so the term 'girl' friend would be appropriate." He finally answered, almost laughing again at the deep exhale his mother gave out at his reply.

"Oh, you know what I meant Shuuichi-kun." Shiori faked a pout, although inwardly she was a bit relieved her suspicions were proven wrong. She was actually a bit appalled at the fact that her beloved son could have potentially brought home a love interest… It was just something she couldn't ever imagine since her son never had shown any interest in dating. Also- it was a situation she just wouldn't know how to handle…

* * *

Remi's mom let out an impressed whistle as she parked the car near an elegant traditional styled home. "Your boyfriend's family looks loaded…"

" **He's not my boyfriend."** Remi automatically dejected. Otoni was the first to get out as he was closest to the car door. A lush garden lined the Minamino Residence driveway, rustling softly against the cold morning air, dew glistening.

"What pretty flowers…" Ms. Rosario commented. She turned to say something to her daughter just as the front door opened, and a young teen exited.

"- _See ya later!_ " The boy looked up and stopped, just noting them. "Ah." He bowed politely. "Good morning." The three of them returned the bow.

"Good morning."

"- _Shuuichi-chan! You forgot your bento!_ " Remi raised a brow.

' _Shuuichi-_ _ **chan**_ _..?_ '

A beautiful woman stepped out, holding a wrapped bento towards the young boy. She looked surprised at seeing them, but soon smiled, walking up to them. "You must be Shuuichi-kun's friends- welcome!" The woman bowed, her long billowing hair flowing in front of her as she did so. "I'm his mother. You can call me Shiori."

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Remi's mother, Margy. This is my daughter's childhood friend, Otoni Dalca, and my daughter, Remi." Otoni and Remi bowed again as Shiori brought the young teen forward.

"Nice to meet you Otoni-kun, Remi-chan. This is my youngest child, Shuuichi-chan."

"It's nice to meet you all." Shuuichi #2 greeted politely.

"Well aren't you adorable." Remi's mom gasped.

"Wait, you have the same name as your brother?" Remi suddenly asked, curious. Shuuichi #2 looked nothing like the redhead, jet black hair adorning his head along with dark freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks. The boy suddenly looked peeved.

"More like he has _my_ name…" He mumbled.

Shiori laughed. "Yes, it can get quite confusing sometimes." Shuuichi's mom acknowledged with mirth.

"Are you my step-brother's girlfriend?"

Remi almost face palmed. "Uh, no, we're just friends. He tutors me in Kanji." She answered the younger Shuuichi. He just nodded.

"Oh. Okay." He said before bowing again. "It was nice meeting you all again." Shuuichi said before heading out to school.

"Would you all like to come inside before you head out for some tea? It's quite cold this morning." Remi smiled.

"Ah, no it's okay Ms. Minamino. Thank you though."

" _Alright mother, I'm heading out now._ "

"Hey Shuuichi-kun!" Ms. Rosario said cheerfully, sounding like some fan. Remi set her mom a look, feeling embarrassed.

"Ah, Ms. Rosario-san, good morning." Shuuichi smiled. "Mother, I covered the leftover breakfast if you still want some for later." She nodded, thanking him. "You must be Remi's friend, Otoni. Pleasure to meet you." Shuuichi looked over to him, giving the boy a smile as he got closer to shake his hand. Otoni nodded his head, accepting the gesture.

"Nice to finally meet Remi's Kanji tutor. She talks so much about-" The raven said. He paused, blinking for a moment before a smile suddenly formed on his lips as Shuuichi's own smile widened.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, two different sets of demonic aura spiked faintly.

* * *

Remi was the first to get out of the car, letting out a noise of excitement as she dragged her small luggage towards the hotel. " _ **TOKYO!"**_

Shuuichi and Otoni watched as the girl took in her surroundings, excitement literally spewing out of the girl in waves. With a small shake of his head, Otoni made his way towards the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder as Shuuichi and Remi's mom laughed. "Settle down there, you're going to scare the locals." He said, earning a look from her.

"Whatever! Ugh, finally, some much needed vacation. School was getting on my last nerves!" Remi said, no longer having an outburst like the previous one. She sighed, walking back towards the car as Shuuichi helped Ms. Rosario unpack the remaining luggage. "Hey Shuuichi, do you think your friends are already here? We did get here later than intended."

Shuuichi nodded. "Yes they sent me a message they were already here, and are waiting for us to claim our room numbers."

"Well, I need to head back and start doing laundry." Ms. Rosario voiced out before she gave her daughter a hug and ruffled Otoni's hair, "It was nice seeing you again, Shuuichi-kun. Drop by any time you'd like, sweetie! Otoni darling, make sure _this_ one stays out of trouble." She said, nudging to her daughter. Remi rolled her eyes.

"Love you too, mom."

With a small smile, Otoni bid the elder Rosario good bye, watching as she started the car and was out of sight soon. "You hear that." Otoni suddenly said, looking at the raven girl with a smirk. "She put me in charge."

"No she didn't." Remi countered.

"Yeah. She did."

"No. Besides, I'd have Shuuichi as a leader any day over **you.** "

"I bet you **would** …" Otoni's comeback was flawless, the boy seemingly nonchalant as he blocked a karate chop from Remi. Shuuichi watched their exchange quietly, but his cellphone ringing took him out of his musings. "Hello, this is Shuuichi speaking." He greeted, only to move his ear back from the receiver as a loud yell resonated from the speaker.

" _ **WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU.**_ "

"Ah, Y-" Shuuichi stopped himself. "That's quite a hello." He settled on, wincing as Yusuke let out a loud string of swears before sounding as if he was speaking too close to the phone.

"We're already inside. You guys sure did take your time." The boy commented.

"Yes, I am sorry about that, there was a lot of traffic on the highway."

"Nah, it's cool." Yusuke disregarded his apology, pausing for a small second before continuing. "Keiko's dad drove us here. It's the only reason why we were so damn early. Is that guy here?"

"Yes." Shuuichi answered.

"You felt it too right?"

"Yes. I'm sure he knows."

Yusuke was quiet. Shuuichi's short, quipped replies were vague and seemingly bland, but Yusuke understood what his friend was trying to say.

… The guy noticed. Demons are typically sensitive to the presence of another of their kind...

"Alright, I will see you soon." Was all Shuuichi said before he turned to Remi. "My friends are already inside."

"Okay." Remi said, her eyes following Shuuichi as he walked on ahead of them. "20 bucks it's Urameshi…" She muttered once the boy was out of ear shot.

"This obsession of yours is kinda getting weird." Otoni retorted back, laughing as she shot him a dirty look, the joke obviously not humoring her.

As the three of them stepped inside, Remi immediately let out a loud gasp, stepping forward just as Yusuke turned to look. " _ **HA!**_ " Quickly, she gave Otoni a look that said ' _I told you so._ '

Yusuke raised a brow, walking up to her as he flicking her forehead- ( _rather harshly_ ) "What is wrong with you-wait, why should I even ask."

"!" Remi frowned. "No way are you engaged!" Yusuke raised a brow, looking at Shuuichi who offered the boy a small smile.

"Aaand that's exactly why I _didn't_ want to tell people…"

"No, it's not the fact that you're still in high school and engaged. It's that who in their right mind would want to marry _**YOU?!**_ " Remi whisper yelled, finally taking notice of the girl behind Urameshi. She gawked at her, still in disbelief over the news. _"Oh my god, you're his_ _ **fiancé**_ _…"_

Keiko smiled over at her. "Nice to meet you, I'm Keiko. And yes- I'm this idiot's fiancé." Keiko said, motioning a thumb over at Yusuke who did not look happy at all.

"Why's it so weird to believe?!" The two girls ignored him.

"Nice to meet you Keiko. I'm Remi." They bowed politely towards each other as Keiko complimented. "And Yusuke, it's weird because out of all the people to have their shit together, it would be you."

"I like your shoes, they look cute with the dress, Remi!" Keiko gushed.

"Oh, thanks." Remi smiled, a bit lost as she had never had another girl compliment her before. Surely in situations like this, you were supposed to compliment the other person back. "Your dress is cute."

"Thanks! I bought it at this cute little boutique in Harajuku over the summer break. We can go there together someday, if you'd like. I can pretty much buy the whole store, that's how cute their designs are, haha!" Remi smiled, nodding as her cheeks dusted a light pink at Keiko's offer.

"Alright, as much I like this whole girly bonding thing…" Yusuke's look said otherwise. "I'm hungry. Keiko made me wait until everyone was here so that we'd eat together."

Keiko sighed. "Shizuru still isn't here yet, so just hold your big mouth, Yusuke." Remi raised a brow.

'… _I like this girl._ '

"Sorry I'm late." They all turned back to see a tall woman approach them. Keiko's eyes lit up as she went to hug the woman.

"Shizuru!"

"Jeez Keiko, I know we haven't seen each other for months, but calm down on your grip a bit, will' ja? It's kinda tight." Keiko immediately loosened her grip, apologizing. "Haha, nah, it's cool kid, I was just joking. It's nice to see you." Shizuru smiled softly, returning the hug. "I've missed you guys."

Yusuke nodded towards her. "Good to see you're doing okay, Shizuru." At this, Shizuru looked over to Yusuke, her smile settling into a thin line a bit as she nodded.

"Yeah, well I've been managing." Remi watched curiously as Yusuke looked upset over her words, looking down at his own feet before turning his back slightly to them.

"It'll get better. I promise."

"Thanks Yusuke... So" Shizuru looked over at the two newcomers. "You guys must be tired from hearing us talk." Remi shook her head.

Haha, no, it's cool. You guys seem close. I'm Remi Rosario by the way."

"Shizuru Kuwabara. Or you can call me senpai, since I'm way older than you guys." Remi grinned.

"This is my friend Otoni Dalca." She motioned towards the raven beside her, who bowed. Shizuru looked him over. "So I don't know how this triple date thing works."

' _Hm, not bad.'_ She thought. Dark hair, tall… Obviously in her type zone. Shizuru figured this whole fake triple date thing wouldn't be such a drag after all.

"… So like, can we go eat now, I'm _**starving.**_ "

* * *

( **Later On:** )

It was dark by the time Shuuichi exited the hotel towards the small park nearby, he spotted Shizuru and Keiko already there. The two had excused themselves to go and buy 'snacks', but in reality Shuuichi had asked them to meet up with him. The excuse for snacks wasn't strange- Yusuke immediately spewed out names of several snacks he wanted, as well as earning a knock on the head from Keiko. A few minutes later after they left, Shuuichi followed suit. The two girls noticed him approach them and they fell silent, wondering why he would call out to them without the other's presence. "Did they see you?" Shizuru was the first to speak, referring to Remi and Otoni.

Shuuichi shook his head. "Yusuke is with them. I doubt they noticed my absence however, as they seem to be in the middle of playing Jenga." Shuuichi said with a hint of amusement.

Shizuru snorted. "Yusuke playing Jenga- now that's new."

"Yeah. Knowing him, Yusuke will probably get fed up soon, and knock the Jenga blocks down out of anger because it was taking too long or something." Keiko exclaimed, literally picturing it as she said so.

"Yeah- that sounds more like him." Shizuru agreed. Shuuichi grinned at their remarks, also agreeing.

Brute force is more of Yusuke's alma mater. ".. I want to thank you both for coming. Regardless of the rather strange request." Keiko and Shizuru nodded.

"Of course." Said the older woman. "We wouldn't deny you a favor, _fox boy._ Besides- you've saved my brother's ass so many times, the least I can do is try to help to make up for it."

"Yeah, Shizuru's right. We want to help any way we can, Kurama." Keiko added with a smile.

"Something's been bothering me though." At this, Shuuichi raised a brow, looking towards the older Kuwabara.

"What is it?" The air was chilled, and Keiko couldn't help but let out an involuntary shiver, huddling closer to her friends out of instinct.

"What's up with that girl's energy? It's all out of place."

"I'm unsure of what you are referring to, Shizuru." Shuuichi answered. "Rosario-san's energy is unstable. If you are referring to it fluctuating-" Shizuru stopped him there.

"- No that's not it." She stated, staring directly at him with crossed arms. "I mean that it's out of place. Like it's not hers."

A frown formed on Shuuichi's lips. "… _**Please elaborate, Shizuru**_."

"Well." She drawled out, rummaging through her jacket for a cig. She didn't have one though, remembering she had left her last pack in her car, and she doubted the fox boy would wait for her to go to her car and fetch her stuff before she told him what was up. "For starters- it's obvious that energy she carries isn't hers- **what… You mean you didn't** _ **know?**_ " Her eyes widened a little before she burst out laughing. "Man, how'd Spirit World let _**THAT**_ slip by them…" She muttered, before continuing. "Yeah, it's not her energy; I'm pretty sure about that. Usually a person's energy is all harmonized and shit. The color varies on how strong it is, and whether or not they can materialize it into physical form. Like when Yusuke does Spirit Gun, it comes off as a bright blue." She paused, before running her hand through her hair in an effort to keep her neck warm. "But here's the thing- hers is _pitch_ _ **black**_ _._ It's all over the place, and its warped one way rather than distributed evenly around her. It doesn't feel like it's hers, is the best I can put it. But even though it feels weird, it's like it's been there so long, it's forced on her or something. Almost like it's trying hard to be hers."

"…" He was honestly surprised at just how strong Shizuru's awareness was. He was aware the Kuwabara's seemed to have a knack for picking up on thing's relating to Spirits, and energy, but this was unprecedented. He had never heard of such a thing, regardless of his age. "Your perception is amazing, Shizuru. I had forgotten you are as spiritually attuned as your brother, if not more if what you say is correct…"

"Actually Kazuma can't see auras." This, Shuuichi did not know. "Kazuma's better at picking up on them, though. He probably would've sensed something was up _waaay_ before I did."

' _If he were here._ ' Shuuichi almost dared to say, but didn't wish any ill intent to befall on her. She had enough worrying over the status of her brother as of now. "Thank you for bringing this to my awareness, Shizuru. This would not have been discovered had you not immediately picked up on it." Shizuru snorted, waving the praise off.

"Don't mention it. Seriously- I don't like the feeling that energy gives. It creeps me out. But she's a cute kid. Kinda dorky looking though- but in that cute kid sorta way"

Keiko, who had been silent until now, joined in. "She doesn't seem nearly as bad at all as to what Yusuke's been running his mouth about." At this Shuuichi raised a brow. "Hey, we should probably get some snacks and hurry back before they get suspicious."

"Yeah."

Shuuichi nodded. "Yes."

* * *

( **The Gang Finally Arrives At Takeda Amusement Park!:** )

Remi practically glowed with excitement. The girl sure knew how to spread a good mood- it seemed to infect everyone as they all hurried past the entrance turnstile with large grins. Even Yusuke seemed just as 'hyped' up as Remi, immediately telling Keiko which rides they should go on. The girl only laughed, finding this side of her fiancé rather cute… Not that she'd say that out loud, of course.

"Jeez Yusuke, you're acting like a kid on Christmas." She commented only fueling Remi and Yusuke's excitement as they all heard loud screams in the distance, eyes drawn to the source. It didn't take long for them to react, with Yusuke letting out a loud "Alright!" as Remi jumped. Otoni rolled his eyes. He didn't seem fazed by the reaction at all, probably because he's seen it so much, he just zones out.

"…"

A determined look passed Yusuke's features as he turned back to the group.

" **THE FALLING DRAGON."** Yusuke and Remi said in unison, then looked at each other in surprise.

"You like extreme rides too?" Asked the boy, honestly a little impressed.

"Tch." Remi scoffed, smirking. "I heard some kid got a heart attack while on it. I want to see if it really is that scary…"

"…" Yusuke returned the smirk. "Think you can handle it, girly?"

"Bring it."

"… I think they just formed an alliance…" Was all that Otoni muttered as the group ran after the two sprinting teens, towards The Falling Dragon Rollercoaster. As they got closer, Keiko stopped, causing Shuuichi to slow down his running and turn back to ask if she was okay.

"Keiko, what's wrong?"

"… _**There's no way I'm getting on THAT…**_ " She said flatly. Shuuichi didn't need to look back to see Remi and Yusuke already on line, the girl dragging Otoni along as well who also seemed not to want to get on. Their loudness told him without seeing. "They _must_ be crazy."

Shuuichi understood, but looked back at the call of his name. "Shuuichi! Are you guys coming?" Remi yelled, and Urameshi soon joined her.

"What, you chicken?!"

"Kurama, go join them. I'll keep Keiko company." Shizuru said, shooing the redhead away.

"Alright. The ride should not take long." With that, he joined them on line.

Yusuke was the first to speak once Shuuichi joined them. "Nice to prove me wrong, fox boy. I almost thought you were gonna chicken out."

"…"

"..?"

… Yusuke paled at the realization of the slip. "…" Shuuichi, who looked a bit surprise over Yusuke suddenly using that nickname, cleared his throat, and side glanced the Spirit Detective. "Shit- _sorry!_ "

"Yusuke what did I tell you about calling me that." His voice held a light tone of irritation, but he had done that intentionally. "Just because we went to that Fox Village in Osaka, and the foxes there happened to all crowd over me, does not mean they mistook me for one of their own because of my red hair. Frankly, I do **not** find humor in it."

"…" Yusuke was stunned, but slowly got over it as he caught on to what the boy was doing. With a nervous smile. "What, you didn't think it was funny? They probably thought you were their fox kin, or something! It was hilarious!"

… They never went to the Fox village. Shuuichi had made up that lie to save face from Yusuke's slip up...

Remi burst out laughing. "Sorry Shuuichi, but that's actually kind of funny, Urameshi's right!" Shuuichi faked a deadpanned look, although chuckled a bit as well.

Remi looked over at Otoni, who had been mysteriously quiet during the exchange. "Hey, you okay?"

Otoni looked at her, nodding. "Sorry, I was distracted."

"Oh." Remi quipped. "Why- Oh. We're next!"

"Finally." Yusuke said. He made move to sit shotgun (The first wagon was a two seater) but Remi had already dragged Shuuichi along and claimed the seat.

"Dibbs." Yusuke frowned.

"What- no you didn't, _**damn you!**_ " He fumed. Shuuichi shot his friend an apologetic look. He would have offered him his seat the boy seemed so determined for… But the ride attendants' voice boomed from a speaker, announcing for all the riders to take their seats and fasten their seatbelts.

"You snooze you lose, Urameshi!"

… Yusuke ceremoniously flipped the bird.

" **WE WILL BE MAKING THE FINAL ROUNDS FOR SEATBELT CHECK. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS SO WE CAN CHECK THE SAFETY BARS.** "

"Jeez, these bars are hard to push." Remi commented as she struggled. Shuuichi already had his down, but he leaned over slightly to his side to push hers down also in a swift move, their fingers brushing slightly as he checked for the sound of the lock in place. Satisfied at the click it gave, Shuuichi gave Remi a reassuring smile. "Thanks Shuuichi." Remi said quietly, her nerves still a bit frazzled. There it was again. That weird jolt shot through her as their fingers brushed slightly over her safety bars. It was strange- Yusuke's was more subdued… Yet he also held another type of feeling that Remi didn't know how to place. Her thoughts drifted towards the two boys.

Like, what are the odds two people whose schools are on opposite sides of the Town knew each other? Sarayashiki wasn't like Tokyo- but it was still pretty large. Going from one end to the other would take almost an hour and thirty minutes tops.

"You guys are all good to go." Remi was brought out of her thoughts when one of the ride attendants came up to them, pulling at their safety bars, and giving them a thumbs up at the sound of the lock in place. She waved them off as the dragon shaped wagon slowly stirred to life, beginning its long ascend upwards.

To those used to the adrenaline rush – the Falling Dragon looked simple enough. A 90° degree ascend up, only to go back straight down. Loop de loops and upside down twists also in place to ensure riders would experience a dull moment after the high drop. Whoops and cheers were heard from behind her, the bulk of it coming from Yusuke. "Whoooo! Alright!" Remi rolled her eyes at his loudness, but also cheered on as she heard Shuuichi chuckle.

"It would suck if the safety bars unlocked now!" Someone joked. Some of the girls complained, obviously not on the ride of their own free will and only there to impress their date.

"Hope ya guys have good insurance then!" Yusuke answered with a smirk, briefly peering back at everyone as a chorus of laughter rung out. He called out to Remi, who peered back at him in annoyance, but paled as she saw how high they were. Remi glared back defiantly.

"What?"

Yusuke's smirk grew. "… You scared yet? You don't look so good." He taunted.

Remi scoffed. "Yeah, and you look like shit always. I bet you're going to piss your pants going down, Urameshi!"

Otoni sighed. "Can you guys just stay quiet for a couple of seconds? I'm seeing my life flash before my eyes, and I'm trying to reflect on my life choices here…"

Remi quieted down, opting to look on ahead at the dragon flag that signaled the peak right before the drop growing steadily closer. For a second, Remi truly felt at peace as long as she didn't look down… The breeze was gentle against her skin this high up, and she looked down towards the pin sized shapes of the passing by crowds. The sun had finally made its appearance after weeks of cloudy skies and terrible rains, and it burned the raven girl's cheeks slightly. Next to her, Shuuichi closed his eyes, enjoying the serene feeling.

"… From this high up, everyone looks like ants…" Remi didn't look back, but acknowledged Yusuke's words with a nod, also agreeing.

"Yeah, we're always so busy; we never take time to actually _look. The view's pretty nice, right?_ "

"Yes." Shuuichi quipped, causing the two to look at him as he went on. "Nature's beauty is fairly simple… Yet she never fails to leave me breathless."

… The drop was only a couple of feet away. Remi's toes curled in anticipation as she momentarily turned back to give Otoni a wide grin. He looked absolutely miserable. Roller coasters were not his thing, but Remi figured after all the times she would drag him on them whenever they would go to Six Flags back in the States- she thought he would be over his aversion to them. "Aww." The sarcasm was strong in this one. "Don't look like someone peed in your cereal bowl, Otoni. It's not cute."

"Shut up."

The ride suddenly slowed down once they reached the peak, and speakers boomed on either side of Remi and Shuuichi. "Y'all ready to fall?!" excited yelling immediately followed, along with a few 'no's'… Otoni was among them…

"Hell yeah! Let's go already!"

"Whoooooo- _**THIS IS AWESOME!**_ "

" **I LOVE YOU MOM, JUST IN CASE I DON'T MAKE IT BACK!** "

" **LOL!** "

"Alright then, let's start the count down!"

Remi looked back to Yusuke, smirking as she called out to him. "… 10 bucks you won't be able to keep your hands up the entire ride."

Yusuke returned the smirk with a scoff. "Oh? You mean the ride hasn't started yet? You're on!"

" **ONE! LET THAT DRAGON FALL!** "

Everyone cheered as the ride slowly regained its speed, teetering over the edge almost mockingly before, plunging straight down. Remi couldn't hear her own screams, the wind nipped at her ear loudly, mixed with the screams of adrenaline from the ride goers. Her hands were up waving frantically as the ride suddenly started to go into the first of many loop de loops.

Her wagon started to tilt upside down, and she could see Yusuke's pompadour come into view along with Otoni's short pony tail whipping wildly in the wind. Remi grinned, flipping the bird at Yusuke who was now in view. The boy again returned the gesture, shouting something at her that she couldn't hear. Something behind the boy caught her attention. Redirecting her gaze, Her smirk fell when her eyes met with something that made her freeze in shock. The sickening jolt of pins and needles made her feel as if her blood were turning to ice.

… At the end of the wagon was that _guy… The same creep from the shrine!_

Perched atop the end of the very last wagon, the creep stood tall, yet it was the fact he was standing upside down, somehow managing to defy the laws of gravity that made Remi stare on in shock, brows knit together tightly. How was that even possible? How the hell was he here?! She lost sight of him as the ride exited the loop de loop, straining her neck far to look past Yusuke, but could not find the stalker anywhere.

"Upside down…" Shuuichi's ears twitched, glancing over at his ride companion. Despite all the noise, he had heard her clearly, feeling her energy start to spike.

"Rosario-san?" Shuuichi tried calling out, but realized she wouldn't have been able to hear him, opting for a light squeeze of her hand to get her attention. Remi flinched, looking at him. Another drop fast approached them, and Shuuichi looked away for a moment. He could hear loud screams erupt from the back of the ride. At first Shuuichi ignored the screams, but when he started hearing them intensify and sound a bit too terrified, too real- the teen looked back. Remi let out a yell, closing her eyes ash the ride neared another loop. "Yusuke, Do you know why they're screaming?"

"I dunno, but they're screaming bloody murder back there." Yusuke screamed back. "I can't see anything."

Shuuichi tried to peer over the top of Yusuke's head, but couldn't. "Neither can I."

" **O-OH MY** _ **GOD**_ **!** " Someone yelled out from the back, causing an onslaught of blood curdling screams.

The ride started to go through the loop, and Shuuichi's eyes widened as he finally saw what the cause of all the screams was.

… At the very last wagon, a girl screamed towards the direction of her boyfriend…

… Whose head was missing.

"HOLY-!" Yusuke cussed out. The ride flattened out again, coming out of the loop de loop as it slowed down towards the platform.

"Let us out!"

"Oh my fucking god- w-what the hell?!" there was a small pause before the safety bars shot up violently, and everyone hurried out, some tumbling down as they jolted for the stairs. The ride attendants were looking in horror towards the decapitated boy, one even kneeling over and proceeding to throw up his lunch.

" **We need to go.** " Shuuichi's low growl made Remi look at him, her legs shaking in her seat. The redhead hauled her up by the arm as they hurried towards the exit. Riders showed them all directions, too far gone in their fear to realize they were practically running over each other.

"Shuuichi!" Yusuke's voice rang out from somewhere behind them, and Shuuichi paused, looking back. As Yusuke approached, Remi's eyes darted around, clutching Shuuichi's hands tighter as she pressed against his arm, desperately trying to avoid being knocked down and separated from her friends by the frantic crowd in the process.

"W-what's going on Shuuichi?"

"Yusuke, please take Remi out of -" Shuuichi's words were cut short as he suddenly gurgled, letting go of Remi's hand. Remi watched in horror as his head slid right off his shoulders.

"…"

"Shuuichi!" Yusuke froze, his head shaking with eyes rolling to the back of his head. Remi screamed when a hand suddenly tore through Yusuke, bursting long, sharp claw like hands out of the boy's mouth.

"…"

 _Her eyes followed the source of the hand, her stomach dropping as she saw the creep with the yellow green eyes, smirk back at her-_

\- "Well, that sure was fun." Yusuke said, smiling as he fixed his already perfect hair. "? What happened to you- you're all pale like you just saw a ghost or something?"

Remi flinched, her eyes wide as she looked at Yusuke. In a daze, she looked back to see that they were outside of the Falling Dragon ride, the next batch of riders already heading up the incline. Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back, willing her arms and legs to stop their shaking.

… Had she been hallucinating? She spotted the girl from the last wagon pass by, giggling with a blush as she hooked arms with her boyfriend. To her relief, he was perfectly fine… She _had_ been hallucinating, she guessed.

"…." She looked at him, before walking off towards Shizuru and Keiko. Yusuke raised a brow, turning to Shuuichi.

"What's her deal? She was zoned out staring into space. She didn't even blink!"

Shuuichi was quiet for a moment before answering. "… I am just as lost as you are, Yusuke. I felt her energy spike whilst on the ride, but I am unsure of whether it was because of it, or something else."

"She looks like she just got word of a Yakuza hit on her." Yusuke continued on, watching as the girls talked amongst themselves. "She was like that too when I picked her up at that Shrine." Yusuke trailed off.

"I have been meaning to ask you on that matter, Yusuke." Shuuichi spoke up, voice quipped as he glanced at his companion with a serious look. "I do not seem to recall being aware of what happened that day."

"…" Yusuke rubbed his nose, not liking the feeling he was suddenly getting. "Yeah? Well guess it must've slipped my mind, then. Oops."

"That hardly is a mistake, Yusuke-"

"- so where are we going next?" Keiko said as she caught up with them and Shizuru in tow.

"…"

"…"

"?" Keiko looked between Yusuke and Shuuichi. "Girls, why don't we have some girl time for a while?" Remi quirked a brow, but had no time to protest as Keiko dragged her and Otoni ( _who had just joined them after finally feeling like he didn't want to barf all over the place_ ) off, Shizuru following suit as she shrugged.

"Sure. Whatever."

Yusuke craned his neck to get a glimpse of Keiko's ass as she passed by him, something Shuuichi gave the boy an abrasive look for. "Where you going?" Keiko looked back at him briefly, grabbing her purse off from Yusuke's forearms.

"I saw a fortune teller booth near the Arcade while you guys were on that death coaster. You guys probably would find that really super girly. Just wait here, we'll be back. Besides- you two look like you need to talk about something important." Keiko provided, giving them a look that said she'd be finding out about it later, whether or not either of the boys would tell her willingly. "And Yusuke- stop looking at my ass."

Once Keiko and company was out of hearing range, Shuuichi spoke. "Am I to assume you would not have told me about what happened at the Shrine..?"

Yusuke said nothing, an impassive look on his face. Yusuke and Shuuichi were close. There had never been a time since the beginning of their friendship in which Yusuke held rancor for the fox demon. They were always cordial, and Kurama's calm natured personality made him easily likeable and trustful. Yet Yusuke immediately recognized the tone in his friend's words, feeling a bit surprised the usually amiable guy was bothered in such a way. "I told ya it must've slipped my mind- sorry." Shuuichi knew Yusuke was being honest; the Spirit Detective's blunt and straightforward personally refusing to half-ass anything.

So he sighed, his features losing the edge to them as the boy gave his friend an apologetic smile. "I did not mean it like-" Yusuke interrupted him.

"- I know. It's my bad really- Koenma's got me being a damn Human World tour guide. I've been keeping an eye on them so they wouldn't try to start some shit here." Yusuke rubbed his nose, yawning. "I honestly forgot about it since I haven't seen her much nowadays, except when we work on our project."

"Can you give me more details about what happened?" Shuuichi stood closer to him as a large crow of civilians exiting a nearby ride passed by. "I only became aware of it after prying it from her, but I feel as if she did not tell me everything."

"Well." Yusuke said lowly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. "I probably know even less than you, to be honest. I called her when she didn't show up at the Library for our project, but I could tell something scared the shit outta her- so I took her home."

"She told me she called you." Shuuichi said slowly, processing the information. ' _Why would she lie about that?_ '

Yusuke shook his head. "Nah. When I got there she was all pale and looked like shit. From what she told me, some weirdo followed her from school and tried some shit, but couldn't get in the Shrine."

"…"

Yusuke straightened up, stretching his arms. "If you ask me- The creep most likely was a demon. Why else wouldn't he be able to get in the Shrine?" Yusuke was right about that. It was the only logical explanation. "I asked her if she felt weird around the creep like if she got electrocuted, and she said yeah. Sounds like a demon to me." Yusuke saw a kid nearby drop his ice cream cone right after he bought it, and nearly laughed. "… Although there was something weird about it. When I got there, I couldn't sense anything. No demonic aura or nothing. Like I mean _nothing._ " Shuuichi burrowed his brows.

"Sorry- what do you mean by that?" Their gazes met.

"… _I mean like I couldn't sense any aura from the creep, OR Remi_. _ **I couldn't feel her energy even though she was right in front of me.**_ " Yusuke chided. "That energy of hers is usually all over the place."

"Actually- Shizuru has revealed something to me pertaining to that. Though I fear this is not the best place to tell you."

"Let's talk later." Yusuke said. "We'll meet up after everyone's knocked out. About the guy- what are we gonna do?"

"Nothing as of yet. This is not the best place to speak about such a topic."

"Gotcha. We'll talk later. So what, we wait for the girl's to come back or something?"

Shuuichi smiled faintly. "The girls are having their impromptu 'girl's time' it seems… I don't see why we can't have ours either." Yusuke howled with laughter at this.

"Eww, so what, we gonna throw pillows at each other and paint nails and shit? I think I'll pass."

Shuuichi glanced over at the Spirit Detective with mirth, voice taking on a light note of sarcasm. "Should I go get the tub of ice cream, Yusuke?"

 **Eye roll.** "You're a riot, aren't you."

"I shall go fetch my assortment of nail polish. Perhaps I should have asked Hiei what shade of polish he uses."

… At this Yusuke bawled out in laughter. He was scrunched over; face squinted and red as he held his sides. " **BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** Wouldn't be surprise if it was Bitchy In Black No. 5."

At this Shuuichi couldn't help but let out a loud chuckle, immediately holding it in as he covered his mouth, shaking slightly. "You must be great at parties, Yusuke."

"Heh- I hate'em."

…

… Whatever tension that was between the two boys was gone now, serene almost amongst the crowds of children screaming like wild animals. Yusuke looked over at Shuuichi suddenly. "… You think they're okay...?"

"… Yusuke." Shuuichi met his gaze. "We have known each other for a very long time. I trust you blindly with my life, ever if I were to be in danger." Shuuichi's words confused him, but the Spirit Detective listened on. "I also trust in Kuwabara and Hiei's capabilities. I trust that they will return back safely."

".. It just pisses me off." Yusuke growled lowly, gritting his teeth.

Unconsciously, Shuuichi took a step back and tensed, feeling Yusuke's demonic energy shift. While the two were very close friends, Kurama's old habits of the Demon World would not leave him. He still would get on edge if he was around demonic energy powerful enough to get him riled up. Yusuke- although a Mazoku- was no exception. "… The damn baby breath isn't lifting a finger to look for them. I can't just do nothing about it."

Shuuichi paused, unsure if he should even bother trying to tell the teen not to do anything rash. The Spirit Detective tended to do the _opposite_ of what told to.

"Once I'm done with this whole tour crap **\- I'm gonna look for them**."

"Yusuke- we do not know where they even _are_ in Demon World."

"Nah, Koenma knows. He said they were last tracked down to the edge of Demon World- I think he called it the Forbidden Zone or something."

"If what you are saying is correct, it will be extremely difficult trying to find Kuwabara and Hiei. Neither Spirit nor Demon World holds domain there… Stepping foot within those grounds is surely guaranteeing your own death."

Yusuke scoffed. "Fuck that. I don't care what's over there- _**I'm gonna get Hiei and Kuwabara back.**_ "

"I can comprehend your eagerness Yusuke." Shuuichi said lowly, turning to face the Spirit Detective. "But are you to go ahead and do such a thing, is ill advised _\- I do not doubt Koenma would force me to hunt you down_. I would not advise doing anything rash, Yusuke. I would much rather you come back in one piece. _**ALL**_ of us."

"If it comes to that, I won't hold it against you Kurama. Koenma's still got you doing his version of community service. _But I'm gonna look after them_. **Not you, or that damn baby breath's gonna stop me**."

…

"That's what I fear." Ultimately, Shuuichi let it go. It was useless to try and sway a mind like Yusuke's. Just then, the girls finally returned chattering loudly as Shuuichi observed a red faced Otoni dragging his feet along behind them, looking rather ill. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know about you guys, but I think I've had my fair share of deadly roller coaster rides for the day. I need a smoke." Shizuru walked off, not bothering to wait. Immediately, Remi nudged Otoni, tilting her head towards where Shizuru was heading. "Well?" Otoni pointedly returned her glare.

"Well _what_?"

Remi pinched her nose. "You're _her_ supposed date. Don't let her go by herself, keep her company, idiot!"

"Ugh, fine." With a sigh, Otoni jogged towards the older woman, falling into a matched stride as they left.

"Remi…" Keiko giggled, shaking when the short raven looked her way with a look that read mischief. "That sooo was on purpose, wasn't it?"

"Hehe- I couldn't help it."

"We missing somethin'?" Yusuke drawled out, looking between the two girls in confusion.

"While we were gone, we got stopped by some fortune teller lady." Remi went on to explain, Keiko softly laughed. "She pulled Otoni aside and started to 'read his future'. Something about an upcoming love interest that was 'amongst us'. Then she turned to Shizuru and stated it was her. Man, you should've seen the look on his face when she did that! I think he was more bothered by the fact that he had to pay for something he didn't even ask for, then out of embarrassment."

"I think the only reason that fortune teller claimed it was Shizuru was because she was the closest." Keiko added. "Overall, it was pretty hilarious, and now I kinda feel bad for him. That was pretty embarrassing."

Remi shrugged. "He'll get over it. Anyways, it's still too early for lunch. Should we try a couple of more rides before we head to the food court?" Shuuichi watched her, noting her hands still shaking slightly.

"That sounds good." Keiko agreed. "But I'm not going on another roller coaster."

"What. But they're the best rides Keiko!" Her fiancé complained loudly. "Don't tell me you wanna go on some lame ass ride like the Gondola or boat ride or some shit."

"Yusuke, give Keiko a break. If she doesn't want to go on it, you can't force her. We still have plenty of time to go on all the crazy rides here, so **relax**." Remi rolled her eyes.

"But the lines are long!"

"Perhaps splitting up would be a good suggestion, then." They all turned to Shuuichi. "If we pair up, we would be able to each go on the rides that we prefer. It would also save us time to go on more rides, as we wouldn't have to wait longer for enough seats to all go together." The redhead suggested.

"Point taken." Yusuke agreed. "Fine." Turning to Keiko, he scratched the side of his head bashfully, briefly meeting her gaze. "I'll go on all the stupid lame rides you want. I promise the ones I want won't be _too_ crazy. We're here for the weekend, after all."

Keiko was taken aback. She had honestly expected for Yusuke to whine about it like a small child, but he had barely put up a fight. "… I appreciate that, Yusuke…"

"Then it's settled." Remi said, looking at Shuuichi. "It's 10:24 am now. Why don't we all meet up at 1?"

"Where would we meet up?"

"The food court." Shuuichi swiftly answered Keiko.

"Okay." Yusuke agreed. "So we'll see ya then." Suddenly Yusuke grinned, leaning in closer as he poked Remi's shoulder, pushing her back a bit. "Try not to seduce my friend _too_ much, Remi. I have a hunch Shuuichi's into some dark, kinky shit. Dungeon full of chains, whips and all." Keiko gasped.

" _ **Yusuke!**_ " The boy laughed as he walked off, sprinting once he heard Keiko chase after him.

"…"

… Remi suddenly wished murder was legal. _'That fucking ass wipe!'_

"Ugh! **I'm gonna wring that idiot's neck when I see him…** "

"That would be unfair to Keiko." Shuuichi replied, amused by her reaction. "Did Yusuke's words really bother you that much?"

For a while, Remi was quiet. While it might have seen as if the girl was that way because she was suddenly uncomfortable being alone in such a setting _(such feeling being brought out as a courtesy of Yusuke)_ she was just thinking. Yes, it's super embarrassing and weird _(Remi definitely was gonna get Yusuke later for thi_ s _)_ yet…

"It's just what he said is so awkward. Even though this is a triple date thing- we're friends. So- I don't know, forget I said anything."

' _Ah, so she is embarrassed…_ ' Smiling Shuuichi suggested that they just walk around. "That is just how Yusuke is. He loves making jokes as such… Even at the expense of my reputation…"

"Yeah, well, he accomplished that all right." Remi muttered, sarcasm lacing her words. "I'm sorry Shuuichi." The raven didn't look at him, but Shuuichi found himself wondering why she was suddenly apologizing. "I'm probably the one making it weird. It really isn't a big deal. Here we are in Tokyo for the weekend, and instead of having fun and spending it in good company, I'm _complaining_."

"There is no need to apologize. **However**." Was all Shuuichi offered before chuckling, a cryptic smile on his lips as Remi glanced his way. "I would like to provide clarity on Yusuke's words… I would _much_ rather keep it PG 13. Although I do have a dungeon somewhere for such an occasion. Would you like to see?"

"…"

It took Remi a while before she suddenly stopped walking, nearly falling over as she bawled with laughter. " _I'd rather not_." Remi said in between bouts of laughter. "I want to possibly come home back with my sanity intact, Shuuichi?" Amongst many _other_ things…

"A pity." Shuuichi feigned a look of disappointment, returning to watching people screaming on the rides nearby. "Here I thought I was so close into whisking you away."

"Hahaha- okay _clearly_ you and Yusuke hang out too much." The raven commented. It was silent now between them, but Remi was glad none of her earlier awkwardness was present. It was nice.

"Where would you like to go next?" Shuuichi suddenly asked, bringing Remi out of her thoughts.

"I don't know. Wherever you want." Remi said.

"… Alright. May I suggest the Gondola ride then?"

Remi looked at him. "Eh?"

"That way we will be able to get a good view of the whole park. Plus the scenery would be nice to see."

"Oh. O-okay then." With that, the two headed towards the ride, with Remi growing anxious as they neared it.

'… _What if I see that creepy guy again? Was he even there?_ ' She thought, looking down at her feet. ' _I don't even know what to think anymore…I feel like I'm going crazy…_ '

…

To Remi's dismay, there wasn't a huge line for the Gondola ride as she had hoped. She figured it was because it was still too early, and rides like these were typically saved for the last minutes until the amusement parks would close, typically the passengers on it being couples, as it was said to be super romantic during a sunset. Remi resisted the urge to gag.

As the ride attendant to open the gate of the Gondola to let them in, Remi knew it was already too late to back out. She mustered up enough will to grudgingly sit down in the two person Gondola, tensing up as the ride swayed when Shuuichi followed suit. A simple smile and thumbs up was all the ride attendant gave them before he closed the gate shut, and the ride started. "You were acting a bit strange earlier." Shuuichi's voice was soft, almost like a melody as the wind whipped around them, bringing the ride ever higher up.

"? Huh? How so?"

"Do you remember our conversation about the weird feelings you would get around others?" Remi blinked, wondering why Shuuichi would bring that up now. Her eyes darted over out the ride's window, feeling her stomach drop when she saw the distant silhouettes of people below them.

"Y-yeah. I remember, but why are you bringing that up now?"

"I was merely wondering if you felt it here. Or with me." Shuuichi answered smoothly. With the breeze, Shuuichi's red locks lightly tickled her face, causing her to blush. They were only an arm's length away from each other, but the short raven couldn't help but feel as if it were the first time she was seeing the boy up close. "You told me you would feel strange being in crowds, so I wanted to make sure you were alright. Back at the roller coaster you were acting a bit off. Afraid, almost." Remi turned her head away just as Shuuichi peered down at her. "Are you really okay?"

"No, really- _I'm fine_." She said softly.

"Upside down." He pressed on further.

"What?"

"You muttered that while we were on the ride."

Remi shook her head at this. "Well, there was a bunch of loops? And adrenaline pumping through my veins- I don't remember saying that." Shuuichi could tell she was getting uncomfortable, her responses becoming vague and dismissive.

"Did you see something?" He pressed on further, hoping she would just confess like she did when he came over for dinner.

"No." Remi bit her lip, sighing. "Nothing happened." She lied, hoping the boy would just drop the topic. She honestly wanted to believe what she may have seen was just a figment of her imagination. Telling Shuuichi would make her feel like she was crazy. There was just no way to defy gravity like that.

"Remi." Shuuichi looked slightly miffed, and the raven couldn't help but feel a little guilty for her behavior. "You are a very bad liar. Tell me what is wrong. I want to help."

 **Ring.**

Shuuichi blinked, watching as she went through her small purse, and took out her cellphone. He leaned back, eager to not let this be a distraction from their earlier topic.

"Hello?"

" _ **GIRL, I HAVE BEEN BLASTING YOUR HOUSE PHONE FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS. WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?**_ "

Remi winced, moving her ear a bit back as she spoke. "Nice to hear from you too, Saryl." Remi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that, I don't know- _I'm not answering my landline because_ _ **I'm not home**_ _?_ "

Saryl scoffed. " _ **Don't sass me, woman**_. _**Just so happens on the SIXTH time I call, your mom picks up…**_ " Saryl trailed off. Remi didn't like the tone she held, knowing what her crazy red-haired friend would say next. "… _**Something about a trip to Tokyo over the weekend with a red-haired hunk tutor..? Go on, fill in the blanks girl.**_ "

"Okay, one- _now's_ _ **not**_ _the time-_ and since when do you call me for gossip?" Remi said pointedly. "We haven't seen each other in what feels like forever, but as soon as you hear some gossip, you suddenly hit me up?"

" _ **Okay, I've legitimately been busy with school work. I actually didn't call for gossip though.**_ " Saryl said, snorting. " _ **The gang wanted to know if you and Otoni were free Monday afterschool. Jackson's done with his preliminary exams, and the girls got Monday off from their club. We were thinking of going to Karaoke, or whatever. They feel kinda bad they've been skipping out on our weekly sleepovers.**_ "

Remi was silent.

"… _**Hey, you still there?**_ "

"… Yeah." Remi answered lamely, her mood dampening a bit. "I just really missed you guys."

" _ **Girl, same here… It's been so fucking boring! I know the situation sucks right now with everyone being in different schools and not having the time to hang out and shit, but I miss our craziness. Even Cain and Otoni's complaining asses.**_ "

At this Remi laughed. Even though Saryl had meant the comment out of endearment, it still sounded so mean.

"Hahahaha- well, I'm sure we'll figure something out." Remi shot her ride companion a small look of apology, before continuing to speak. "Hey, I gotta go, but I'll call you as soon as I get back to the Hotel, okay? Tell your mom and brother I said hi."

" _ **Okay. Oh, and Remi- don't do anything I wouldn't do.**_ " Saryl joked. The raven snorted.

"Trust me- I won't. Talk to you later, dork."

" _ **Whatever lame ass**_." With that Remi hanged up.

"Sorry that took so long." Shuuichi smiled, stating that it wasn't a trouble. The ride was now over, the Gondola having settled into a slow stop as a different ride attendant unlocked the gate for them to exit.

"Did you guys like the ride?" Remi turned, nodding to the ride attendant.

"Yeah. Though I'm not a big fan of heights."

The attendant nodded, waving them off as he let in the next batch of passengers. "It gets better the second time around. You guys enjoy your stay! Come back to the ride soon!"

"You are scared of heights."

"… I didn't want to tell you because you seemed to want to get on this ride…" Remi spoke up, walking beside the red-head. The next ride wasn't too far off, but Remi's mood had soured. Speaking with Saryl made her feel a bit upset. Even though they had spoken to each other in the same way they have always in the past, she couldn't help but feel as if they were all starting to drift apart into their own lives. Their friendship felt different, as if they were both straining so hard to make it work even though school was an obstacle.

… Saryl was the closest person after Otoni in her life, but she wouldn't know what to do if that were to change… Wasn't High School the 'make it or break it' that decided what friendships would last for years to come, or end?

Smiling softly, Shuuichi took hold of her hand in his gently. "I understand." Their eyes met, and Remi felt as if she could look into those endless pools of green forever. What shade of green where they? Remi really wished she were able to capture the color and show it to her art teacher. She might know a name to put on that beautiful shade of green Shuuichi held. "It is a normal human reaction to be scared. However you should have told me. Had I known, I wouldn't have made you get on it."

"…" Her words didn't seem to come to her now, even though she desperately wanted to thank Shuuichi for understanding. Realizing he was now drawing small circles on the back of her hand, Remi blushed, face growing hot. "… C-careful Shuuichi… If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was a ploy to whisk me away to that aforementioned dungeon of yours…" Remi joked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Ah, yes. You have become aware of my nefarious plot."

Remi rolled her eyes playfully, trying hard to ignore the fact that Shuuichi's hands were still on hers. Clearing her throat, she peered at him for a brief second. "Thanks again Shuuichi. I feel like I say that a lot to you, but you always help me out."

" _I do not mind it in the slightest."_ He assured, noticing the slight look she gave to his actions. A bit flustered, Shuuichi slowly let go of her hand. "… Are you feeling better now?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Guess your nefarious plot really does work." Remi smirked. "Haha, I'm joking. Honestly, I wasn't always afraid of rides like this. Back in the States, my friend's used to rock the ride on purpose, so I think I might have developed some type of PTSD because of it."

"Ah, I see. Yusuke does the same. I would recommend you not to ever get on a Ferris wheel, or boat ride with him… I speak of firsthand experience. "

"Hahahaha- yeah that sounds like Yusuke alright. How long have you two known each other?"

Shuuichi suddenly smiled. "I have known Yusuke for a very long time." Remi looked over at him. "We met during my second year of middle school."

"It's just really surprising." Remi commented.

"How so?" Shuuichi quipped, noting they weren't really walking anywhere specific.

"Well, you guys are like _complete_ opposites, for starters."

"Actually- Yusuke and I are not too much of polar opposites. There are many things we share in common, and he has never failed me as a friend, as he is very reliable. I cherish our friendship dearly. "

' _Things in common, huh? I don't see it at all…_ ' Remi's lips curled up at she thought of this, before shaking the thoughts away. "I guess I can pretty much say the same for Otoni. I've been friends with that loser even before first grade. Even with all the time we spent and stuff- he and I couldn't be any more different. But I guess that's why there's that saying about opposites attract. That would totally explain Keiko and Yusuke, by the way." Shuuichi couldn't help but laugh at this.

"… Believe me when I say that the two of them getting together was long overdue." Shuuichi said cryptically, casting the girl a small smirk. "I find I amusing that you had no qualms about riding a 90°degree ride, yet get a bit squeamish at the thought of a slow moving gondola ride."

"Okay, roller coasters and gondola rides are two very different things. Sure they're both high up in the air- but at least roller coasters aren't slowly hovering over up high to plummet down out of nowhere with the slightest shake." Shuuichi only chuckled at this.

After a while, there was only silence between the two, but Remi couldn't dare say that it was uncomfortable in the slightest. Although the park had become more crowded by this time as swarms of children ran past them in all directions, Remi didn't pay them any mind. To her, it was just her and Shuuichi taking a stroll along the amusement park.

… She couldn't help her mind wander though, as calm as it was currently- back to the creep. A frown quickly found its way onto her lips.

Remi didn't want to believe it, but she had seen him there. He had been on the ride with them earlier, yet logic tried to tell her that it was impossible for a human being to defy the laws of gravity. There was just no way someone could be standing upside down on a ride that was going who knows how many miles per hour, without a seat belt on even!

… It had bothered Remi greatly, but at the same time- she didn't want to keep thinking about it. This vacation was supposed to be a relaxation from school, yet all she could think about was the conversation with Shuuichi and the creep who seemed to be able to do things that were humanly impossible.

' _No… I should just ignore this. There's no way it was possible after all…_ '

Shuuichi stopped a few paces ahead, brows raised with a perplexing look as he looked back to call Remi. "What are you doing? Is something wrong?" He called out, but his voice didn't seem to reach her.

Her eyes stared on to the ground, lids twitching as her sudden realization made her keenly aware of the small queasy feeling that seemed to come from the pit of her stomach. _'Ugh, I'm on an awesome vacation with the prince of Meiou Academy himself. Why the hell am I worrying over something I'm not even sure happened? The guy was perfectly fine- I saw it myself.'_

Shuuichi was at her side now, slowly reaching out to touch her shoulder gently. "Remi..?"

"Ah." At the touch of her shoulders, Remi snapped out of her daze, sending Shuuichi a grin. "Sorry about that, Shuuichi! I spaced out."

"…" His eyes narrowed. "Is that so…"

"Yeah. Hey, why don't we go and meet with the rest now? It's about that time anyways." Remi walked on ahead, missing Shuuichi's worried glance. Her mind wandered back to her encounter at the shrine. Whatever that was swirling in her head, the girl desperately pushed it at the back of her mind. For now- she was going to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, in favor of enjoying her time with Shuuichi and the rest.

-o-

…

Yusuke and Keiko were the last ones to join them. Said boy sported a bright red bump on the side of his head as he grumpily muttered a 'yo' to the gang. "Whoah." Remi couldn't help but blurt out.

"Nice shiner you got on there, Yusuke. Some sort of new fad or something?" Shizuru commented from her spot on top of a nearby railing.

Yusuke glared at her, rolling his eyes as he dug in his pockets. "Shut up."

"Okay, so what should we eat guys?" Keiko piped up from behind Yusuke, momentarily letting out an annoyed scoff when said boy looked her way. Remi raised a brow.

"Okay what's the story. Did we miss something?" She called out, looking back and forth between the two. With a sigh, Remi sat down near the railing, opting for a spot near the stairs leading up to the amusement park's outdoor food court.

Keiko was the one to answer, choosing to sit next to her. "Yusuke tried to cop a feel." At this, the boy finally piped up, angry.

"Don't see how it should be a problem since you're my woman." Unbeknownst to the Spirit Detective, he three ladies immediately scowled, with one face palming Shuuichi. Otoni watched the currently unfolding calamity in silence, flinching at the ever so rising murderous intent from their female companions. "The hell' ja all staring at me like that?"

" **Yusuke, you** _ **fool**_ …" Otoni mumbled, taking a couple of steps back as Keiko stood up.

" _ **IDIOT!**_ "

"Ow- **WHAT THE** _ **HELL**_ **KEIKO- THAT** _ **HURT!**_ _"_

"There are so many problems with what you said, Yusuke." Remi scoffed.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?!"

Shuuichi decided it was his time to intervene, lest Spirit World wanted a Spirit Detective turned into sashimi. " _Perhaps a picnic would be wise_." The redhead provided, gaining everyone's attention. "There are many different choices here, so perhaps we could do a sort of impromptu potluck together." A few moments of silence followed before everyone agreed.

"Sounds good. I love potlucks."

"As long as the food doesn't suck- I'm in."

"Sure. Whatever."

"Yeah."

"Jiimamii tofu with dengaku sauce!" Yusuke quipped, motioning towards a nearby food stall.

"NO." Shuuichi interjected. "Rosario-san has a peanut allergy."

"What. Oh shit, sorry about that." Yusuke blinked, scratching his temple bashfully. "Uh, then it's gonna be tough finding any food that isn't fried in peanut oil around here." Remi sighed.

"You guys, don't worry about me. I'll eat later." Remi smiled, but a look from all of them told her that she was going to be included in their little makeshift potluck. "… Guys, really. It's okay." Remi assured with a small smile. "I'm not that hungry anyways."

"Nope. You're eating with us, end of story." Keiko huffed, grabbing the raven girl's wrist as she pulled her up to her feet. "We'll find something edible for you, Remi-chan."

"… Uh, thanks..?"

…

They weren't able to find anything safe for Remi to eat. In the end, it was decided that they would just get some snacks for now, and leave the potluck for a later time. After eating, they had all decided to stay as a group and go on more rides for a while until the sun would set. Shuuichi leaned against the railing that separated the theme park from the small lake, watching as the orange haze tinted the sky into a dark purple. The group had decided to stay for the famous fireworks the theme park would do every night, before heading back to the hotel and having their impromptu potluck.

"You look troubled." Shuuichi had not registered when the Spirit Detectives had managed to sneak up on him without being detected. He was a bit impressed, to be honest. ' _Yusuke has changed from our time during the Tournaments._ ' Shuuichi thought, s mall smile forming on his lips. ' _To be able to hide his spirit energy to the point that even I cannot detect him is truly remarkable…_ '

"… Remi actions have me a bit miffed, that is all." Shuuichi provided, briefly looking over at the girl before continuing.

Yusuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I haven't felt anything off. You?"

"Neither have I."

"Doesn't mean that shit's not going down though." Shuuichi nodded.

"I'm afraid Remi doesn't seem to be approachable in such matters."

"Well, maybe cuz you're not doing it right." Yusuke offered, yawning as he peered back over to the girls. "I betcha if I have a go at it, she'd blurt it right out. After some _light_ persuading of course."

"… Is that so…" Kurama sighed. Although he didn't fancy Yusuke's harsh words towards the girl, the Spirit Detective did make a small point. He was the first that Remi told about the Shrine incident, something that slightly bothered him. "Perhaps, Yusuke."

Yusuke looked away from Remi to stare at Kurama with a raised brow. "Nothing personal, fox boy. I was partially joking." The Spirit Detective said strangely, eyeing the redhead with a weird look. "You're the one she talks to more. You'd probably be able to get her to talk faster than Hiei can threaten Kuwabara in an argument." The imagery caused both boys to grin. "You practically got her on a leash."

"How amusing." Kurama said, peering over his shoulder at Yusuke. "Are you suggesting that I have her wrapped around my fingers?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Hey, you said it, not me."

* * *

" _Momma bear._ "

Otoni looked back with blank eyes as Remi flashed a grin, lightly bumping her shoulders against his as she joined him. The water glistened bright amber, reflecting the last of the sun's lights as the day slowed down to a more serene ambience. "Remi."

"You want some?" Otoni shook his head, at the sight of strawberry pocky being offered. "Okay, suit yourself, Mr. moody."

"I'm not moody." Otoni muttered, looking back towards the water.

"Psst." Remi rolled her eyes. "When aren't you? Hey, I just wanted to check up on you. You've been really quiet ever since we got here." She trailed off, choosing her next words carefully as she leaned in closer to rest her head on his shoulders. "I thought maybe you were hating it or something."

"I don't hate it." Otoni immediately interjected, angling his body slightly so that Remi's head fit perfectly into the groove of his shoulders. "They remind me a bit of our friends. Especially that Urameshi guy."

"Yeah, as much as he is annoying, the idiot's not that bad. He just gets on my nerves. A lot."

"You seem really fond of him actually." Otoni teased. "Especially dear Shuuichi."

"Shut up." Remi frowned, pink dusting her cheeks. "What about you and Shizuru, huh? Finding your soul mate, I'm kinda jealous." Otoni smirked at what she was trying to do… She was trying to divert the subject away from herself.

"Aw, how cute. You're embarrassed."

" **I'm going to shove my foot deep up your ass, Otoni.** "

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes at the threat.

"So that love destiny of yours…"

Otoni scoffed. From her angle, Remi saw his eyes darken, a look quickly crossing his face that made the girl inwardly shiver at the sight. "That fortune teller's got some loose screws… I don't believe in the whole fate or destiny crap. It's not up to anything but you to make."

"That's true." Remi quipped softly, looking back at the lake. "But seriously- your thoughts on Shizuru?"

"What do you want to know."

"Well, this whole shenanigan is pretty much like a triple date thing, but you've barely said a word. I thought she might've been your type, whatever that is. Sure, she's not really curvy, but she's got something going on."

Otoni sighed. "Remi, if this is a plot to get me to join that stupid dare you're in, you can forget it. I'm not looking to join, and I'm not interested." Remi huffed, sulking at him.

"Yeah, Yeah, I know. You always say there's no one your type, but you'll never know unless you try and give it a shot... Okay, don't give me that look. I'm going to go bother Yusuke now." Remi straightened up, heading towards Kurama and Yusuke who were off a ways to the right, talking.

"An excuse to talk to Shuuichi." Otoni called out in sing song.

"Shut uuup!"

Shuuichi looked over his shoulder as Yusuke continued to blabber on, perplexed at the finger pressed against Remi's lips in a display of secrecy.

"- so then he-"

"- I came to crash the party. You called?" Remi jumped in between the two boys, causing Yusuke to jump a bit in surprise. Throwing the girl an annoyed glare, the Spirit Detective stalked off, headed for Keiko. Grinning, Remi shot Shuuichi a look, who in turn returned it with eyes of mischief, the back of his hand covering his mouth. "Aw, Yusuke!"

"Consider it crashed then, Rosario-san." Shuuichi muttered, making space for the girl to lean against the railing beside him.

"How long do you think until they start the fireworks, Shuuichi? It's already 6:45."

"It does say the fireworks start around 6:50, so any moment now… Is your friend Otoni well? I saw you speak to him, but he looked a bit bothered."

Remi shook her head. "Nah, don't mind him. He just has a permanent resting bitch face, is all."

Shuuichi smirked. "Is that so …Well, I am glad we are all here."

"…" Remi peered over at Shuuichi, surprised by his words. "Yeah?"

"… To be honest, I do not get to see Yusuke and the rest often." Shuuichi answered. "So I am very grateful the few chances I do get to see them."

"Ah, I get what you mean." Remi replied, a small smile gracing her lips. "I feel the same way about my friends. Even though I've known Otoni almost my whole life, I was able to meet many people I cherish too thanks to my dad's business. I would give anything to be able to see them every day. So I understand what you mean about having so few chances now."

"Yes." Shuuichi nodded. "You have mentioned to me a couple of times regarding such."

"Yup. But things like that usually resolves by itself eventually, so I'm not really worried."

"Are you afraid of eventually falling out of things in common with them? It is a fear I struggle with, at times."

Remi was quiet for a moment, before regarding Shuuichi with a wanton smile. "Well, I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind… But- if they feel the same way about the friendship, then no matter how much time passes, the moment you'll meet again will still be the same. I just want it to be like that always. I don't want to become something my friends will eventually not recognize. That's why I try to do get-togethers as often as I can, but life happens." Remi lightly knocked his shoulder. "But I don't think you should really worry about that, Shuuichi. Your friends invited you here after all. It was probably their excuse to catch up."

"Yes." Shuuichi agreed. "You offer very excellent insight, Rosario- san. Thank you."

Remi blushed, looking away as a grin threatened to split past her ears. "No problem Shuuichi. Anytime."

 **BOOM.**

Their attention was captured by the fireworks suddenly starting, illuminating the area around them in an assortment of bright colors.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" From somewhere behind her, Remi barely heard Keiko over the loud explosions, eyes sparkling. The gang watched on in silence for the remainder of the display, until the very last firework burst into a bright blue blooming flower, only to cast the park in darkness.

"… We should head back now." Shuuichi called out to the rest, briefly looking back at Remi as the short girl joined him.

"Not gonna lie…" Yusuke started to say, helping Keiko off the railing as walked past the multitude of people to leave. "Today was pretty fun."

Remi nodded. "Yeah, I haven't had this much fun in a long while. It was nice."

"Kinda sucks we gotta leave tomorrow." Yusuke stretched his arms out with a yawn. "Man, I can do with a beer right about now."

"We could go on a couple of rides tomorrow before we go back." Shuuichi said with a small smile.

"Ugh, back to that hell hole of a school." Remi muttered, Yusuke joining her.

" **Don't remind me…** anyways, the hell are we gonna eat for that potluck? I'm starving!"

Keiko only rolled her eyes. "You're _**always**_ _'starving',_ Yusuke."

"What- I'm a boy with big needs." The boy countered.

"More like special needs." Keiko and Remi both answered, laughing at their shared words.

"Rude?!" Yusuke sent his fiancé a look, one which the girl only snickered at. Remi just received the bird, as ususal.

"- Okay, gonna stop this right here." Shizuru interjected, pushing both teens back by their shoulders. "You guys argue just as bad as Kazuma and the midget." Shizuru sighed. "Hey." Shizuru turned to the short raven girl. "Since you're allergic to peanuts, I'd rather not have to drive you to the hospital, kid. Why don't we just get some squid yakitori and sushi? I know the hotel has a grill available, but I'd rather not risk salmonella with anyone of you." Yusuke looked like he wanted to protest, but wasn't given a chance. "You guys can go on ahead, I'll get the grub, I guess. Anyone want anything in particular?" Several shouts of Spider, Naruto, and Unagi rolls could be heard. "… On it." With that, Shizuru walked off.

"Don't forget the beer!" Yusuke shouted out after her.

"You guys are underage." Shizuru shouted back.

"Is Shizuru really going to bring alcohol?" Remi asked Shuuichi, who chuckled. Yusuke was the one who answered her however, smirking.

"Oh, you don't know Shizuru. She practically drinks a friggin' gallon a day of it. She's _definitely_ bringing alcohol…"

"Oh! Go keep her company, Otoni." Remi suddenly blurted out, the raven boy looking offended.

"Whyyy?" Remi rolled her eyes, frowning as she pushed the taller teen forward.

"It's late for a girl to be wandering by herself, _**duh**_! Hurry up! God, you're clueless." She watched Otoni jog towards Shizuru, before turning to Keiko. "Boys are so clueless, huh?"

"Super." Keiko replied, eyeing her fiancé.

…

XX—XX-

"Hey."

Momentarily pausing from a drag Shizuru looked back, giving the raven a small nod as he caught up to her. "Chaperoning me again, kid? Man, do I feel special." Otoni cracked a smirk, walking beside her with hands shoved into his pockets. The slight breeze in disheveled their hair, but the Otoni made no move to fix his.

"Hey, a lady like you shouldn't be out so late. Especially in an unknown area."

"Oh, that's _real_ cute. Like I haven't heard **that** before." Shizuru snorted, puffing out a cloud of smoke away from Otoni's direction.

Otoni chuckled. "Cue in obligatory compliment." Shizuru shook.

"Oh god... Hey, think we should try that place?" She pointed towards a decent sized convenience store down ahead.

"Sure." He nodded. "Hopefully they have a food section with what everyone wants."

"Yeah, wouldn't want Yusuke complaining his ass off." Shizuru added. "Is the kid allergic to anything else besides peanuts?"

"Nope."

…

* * *

(A Familiar Spirit Arrives At Takeda: )

…

Botan closed the strange looking device as she peered down. The contraption looked like a pair of binoculars of sorts, yet knowing Spirit World- it was a twisted version of the usually recognizable tool. This one in particular, let the Ferry girl see the left over spirit energy of whoever she desires to track, which she was currently using to try and locate Yusuke and the others. So far though, she was only able to decipher that yes; Yusuke was in the area- but unfortunately it doesn't tell you _**where**_ he went next and is now… So it was a pretty much useless tool.

She hadn't been in the park for long, having teleported near the restrooms. Botan looked about, trying to pick up a trail of Yusuke's energy from where the tool pointed. "Would've been nice if lord Koenma sir had given me something useful that would teleport me in their exact location…" Botan trailed off, suddenly making a funny face as she materialized her broom. "Duh- I can do that already! My- how silly of me!" Giggling as she mounted her oar. "I don't need a silly contraption when I already have all I need!" Botan took out a small vial containing a strand from her human outfit. "A pluck of Yusuke's hair from when he was in his spirit trials. I had completely forgotten about this, lord Koenma had a sample of Yusuke's DNA when he became a spirit after saving that human child, and gave Yusuke his spirit animal. I hadn't thrown in out because I wasn't officially resolved of being his Spirit Guide- but I'm glad I didn't." With a determined smile, Botan held up the strand of hair up, squinting as a fine thread of energy tugged out from the vial, and pointed somewhere towards east. The thread of energy was strong, suggesting that Yusuke was somewhere not too far from the amusement park. "Yusuke's most likely with the Rosario girl, so I can't just show up out of the blue…" Botan paused. That was going to be a problem. "Hmn, maybe I should use the communicator."

* * *

 **(Concerning the Gang: )**

" **\- C'mon Otoni,** _ **CHUG IIIIT!**_ **"** Remi yelled beside him, pushing a large beer can towards the raven's tightly closed mouth.

" **GET THAT SHIT AWAY FROM ME REMI!** "

"You lost the round." Remi said, her grip on Otoni's face , and the beer can not subsiding.

" _ **NO!"**_

"You lost at the never have I ever sooo, you gotta drink up!"

"NO!"

… This had been the spectacle for the last twenty minutes. Yusuke rambled on towards an irritated Keiko, stumbling about as he drank. Shuuichi was perched on a rock, watching in amusement as the light from the artificial bonfire equipment the Hotel provided them with danced shadows over his face.

… They had started drinking. It had started out innocent enough, but pretty soon Yusuke had suggested a couple of brilliant drinking games- _ones that he was terrible at, to be honest_ \- which resulted in him getting smashed waaay sooner than the rest of them. Shizuru turned to the two rambunctious teens as she sauntered her way, leaning in to sling an arm over an increasingly annoyed Otoni. "C'mon, don't be a wuss." Was all she said before she took the raven's chin in her grasp, prying it open and dumping the beer in his mouth without warning.

Otoni jumped, turning away from her grasp as he involuntarily swallowed. "Oh my god- you guys are crazy!"

Yusuke laughed obnoxiously, slapping his knee. "Nice!"

"That was a bit over the top, Shizuru…" Shuuichi muttered, handing the glaring boy a napkin, to wipe off the droplets of beer now staining his shirt.

"Aww, did the babwee get upswet?" The Spirit Detective slurred, mimicking baby talk. His smirk grew when he saw Otoni practically bristle, slowly turning his head to glare back at him.

"What. Did. You say..?" Remi looked at Otoni, suddenly sporting a weird look on her face.

"You heard me." Yusuke retorted back, ignoring Remi's stare.

"Uh…" Remi trailed off, unsure of whether to step in or not.

"Shut up. What'cha afraid of, a lil' alcohol? And wha' about you!" Yusuke suddenly yelled, leaning his left arm on his knee as he rambled on. "Ya haven't even taken a. A damn sip! You a light weight or somethin'?"

"I don't drink." Otoni merely stated, his back turned to the teen.

"It's a long story." Remi started to say, sauntering towards Shuuichi to take a seat, although the red head steadied her as she almost fell sideways. "But pretty much he got smashed a long time ago in the States and made a fool of himself. Vowed off of alcohol ever since."

"Yes, please continue talking about me as if I'm not here."

"How smashed we talkin' about?" Yusuke asked, the topic having picked his interest. "No way he's more of a lightweight then carrot top!" At this, Shizuru chuckled.

Remi raised a brow. "Carrot top? Well, I wasn't with him when it happened, but it was at some stupid party in middle school. For the entire school year, there were a bunch of rumors, but he never confirmed which ones were true or not."

"And I never will, so don't ask."

"Anyways, I think it's your turn Keiko." Remi said.

"Pass."

"Sure. Shizuru, what's the next question?"

Shizuru looked down at her cellphone chuckling after a small pause. "Oh man, this is rich."

"What? What' it say?" Yusuke made move to head over to the woman, but Keiko stopped him with a sharp pull of his pant legs.

"… This one's pretty interesting Keiko." She motioned for the brunette to come over, which she did after dusting her skirt.

"What is it-" Keiko visibly bristled, her face turning hot pink. " _W-w-why the hell is there a q-question like t-that?!_ "

"Like what?"

"No. **I'm n-not saying that.** " Keiko shook her head, pressing her hands against her cheeks in embarrassment as she did so.

"Fine I'll take over." Shizuru stated, taking a large gulp of beer. "Ooh, this one's a two parter… Here's the question- never have I ever lost my v-card. Second part, never have I ever done it with the lights off. Well, I lost." Shizuru immediately took two gulps, along with Yusuke. Shuuichi, Otoni, and Remi were the only ones who didn't took a sip, Remi faking surprise.

"Well?" Yusuke looked over at Keiko expectantly, making her cheeks go even redder at what he said next. "What are ya waiting for, take two sips, Keiko."

" **This is** _ **so**_ **embarrassing!** "

"What, nothing wrong with a little **coitus** , Keiko." Shizuru said slyly, poking fun at her friend. "C'mon, it's nothing to get embarrassed for. You two are engaged anyways. We're all adults here. Well technically not, and you really shouldn't be drinking underage, but who cares, _stick it to the man!_ "

"What."

"It's just- ugh, let's not talk about this anymore!" Keiko squeaked, burying her face in her hands.

"Don't get what'cha all embarrassed for, you liked it. Especially the face helicopt-"

"- _**YUSUKE!**_ "

" **Oh god.** " Remi looked like she wanted to barf then. " **Too much info, ew!** "

"Next question!"

"… Your turn Remi." Keiko called out.

Clearing her throat, Shizuru's phone was in her grasp. "Okay, never have I ev-" Remi trailed off abruptly, staring at the screen in disbelief. "Um, uh, well it says never have I ever eloped underage?"

"…"

… Shizuru and Keiko both drank. Yusuke followed a moment after.

Remi raised a brow, glancing over at Keiko who was refusing to look at anything but the floor. "… Shouldn't ask…"

Remi handed the phone over to Shuuichi. "Your turn Shuuichi."

"… Never have I ever kissed someone. There seems to be an ongoing theme." Shuuichi said, gingerly taking a sip from his can. Everyone followed suit, except Remi. Heck, even Otoni, who wasn't playing before, grudgingly took a sip.

Yusuke got the question next. "Okay, never have I ever drank vodka. Lame ass question." Yusuke drawled out, taking ashot. Shizuru also did as well. After a couple of more rounds, Yusuke had enough. "Oookay, this is getting old." Yusuke stated, suddenly losing interest.

"Yeah." Remi agreed. "And the questions are getting weird."

"How about we do something else?" Keiko suggested.

"Why don't we do strip poker?" Of course it was Yusuke to suggest such a thing.

" **NO.** " Keiko hit him.

Remi rolled her eyes. "Where would we even get a deck of cards from, anyways?"

"I dunno, so?" Yusuke scoffed, grabbing a cold beer from the cooler.

 **BZzzt.**

Yusuke flinched, his jean jacket pocket vibrating. Yusuke stood up, his drunken stupor making him stagger as he stalked off, casting Shuuichi a glance. "Soorry, gotta take this call."

After making sure he was quite a distance away, Yusuke clicked on the receiver of the communicator, his already angry face scrunching up in confusion at the sight of the bubbly Ferry girl grinning and waving back at him. "Pacifier's not with you? Ugh, better yet, what the hell are you wearing Botan?"

Botan looked down at her outfit, a baby pink oversized sweater with yellow leggings and blue converse. "Isn't it cute?"

"You're wearing every damn color of the rainbow. Anywhoooo, what the hell are you even calling for? Did shitty diapers put you up to this?"

"Well, yes and no." Botan answered, her pointer finger rising up to her famous thinker pose. "And please refrain from calling him that! Lord Koenma sir has reopened my position as Spirit Guide for you, so I didn't know exactly how to let you in on this new predicament. You're with the girl, right? She'd be able to see me in my human body. I really don't want to leave this outfit to change for my spirit body, anyways." She pouted.

"Spirit Guide? Last time I checked, I haven't died before my time again, so why the hell's he got you as my Spirit Guide? And I'm part demon now, so how does that work out?"

"I'll be frank with you Yusuke." Botan's tone took on a reprimanding tone. "You're situation's very unique, but you are still part human, so Spirit World rules still apply to you. Although you're not fairing so well in terms of that hot temper of yours." Botan wagged her finger at him through the communicator screen. "You're planning to sneak off to Demon World to look for Hiei and Kuwabara, aren't you?"

"Your point?"

Botan sighed. "Yusuke, I _really_ don't want to see you get reprimanded by Spirit World, so that's why I'm here, to make sure you don't do anything too… _Rash_. **BY** the way, look behind you, Yusuke."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Wait, why?"

"Look behind you."

Yusuke sighed, turning to look around, only to jump a little at the sight of Botan literally centimeters away from him.

"Boo! Hehe, did I scare you?" Yusuke got over his momentary surprise, scoffing as he looked pointedly at her.

"Not even close, but nice try."

"… Please don't go to the Demon World without permission, Yusuke." Botan pleaded "There's no knowing how Koenma will react if you commit treason. I'd rather not live to see that!"

"So what, you just want me to sit on my ass doing nothin' while Hiei and Kuwabara are who knows where, who knows what's being done to them? I'm gonna go lookin' for them Botan! No one's gonna stop me, and you definitely won't! I don't care if they cut my balls off afterwards for committing treason, but I'm gonna to go look for' em!"

"Yusuke, please! As your Spirit Guide, I just want to guide you to-"

"- save the monolouging for someone else. I ain't hearing it." Yusuke said finally.

"Grr, you're really stubborn as a mule! Well, I guess I'll have to stick to you like glue and not let you out of my sight then!" Botan leaned closer, hands at her hips.

"Yeah, and if you do that, I'll give ya a knuckle sandwich." Yusuke imitated Botan, also leaning in.

Botan gasped, taking a step back as she gawked at the Spirit Detective. "Yusuke, you barbarian! You would hit a girl?!" Yusuke rolled his eyes at her dramatic spectacle. "You would too, you've done it before!"

"Go home, Botan."

"NO can do, sticking to you like glue!" Botan winked.

"You can't be seen by Remi, Botan." Yusuke pointed out.

"…" Dammit, Yusuke did have a point. As long as Botan remained in her human body, the girl would be able to see her. Even if she did use her spirit body, it was a possibility that Remi could still see her, or be able to sense her because of her spirit energy anomaly. "Aw, boo, I never get to be included in all the action like you guys!"

"Bye Botan." Yusuke pointedly said, waving her off as he started to walk back. "They'll think I'm taking too long or somethin'. Oh and Botan?"

The teal haired girl blinked."Yes?"

"Don't try to pull off some stupid stunt or somethin'. Like suddenly appear." Yusuke smirked as Botan stuck her tongue out.

"Just you wait Yusuke!"


	10. Chapter 10 Trip to Takeda Pt 2

"I gotta admit, this sure is a nice change of scenery." Shuuichi glanced over at Shizuru.

"Yes." The redhead answered with a soft smile. His eyes trailed over to the bumbling duo, only a few feet in front of them as Yusuke and Remi pranced about He watched in amusement as the two of them teased Otoni, who was sitting on a lawn chair next to a very passed out Keiko.

Shizuru rolled her eyes, the drunken shenanigans of these two honestly was ridiculous. Shuuichi chuckled, as Shizuru could only watch with annoyance… Oh great, they were now trying to balance their used chopsticks on their noses. "Oh god, they're shit drunk." The older woman commented. "I'm _**not**_ babysitting."

"I sense a hectic morning in store for those two." Shuuichi joked, earning a snort from Shizuru. "We should intervene soon."

"Jeez, lightweights." Shizuru almost face palmed. "… _oh god, hold on, I'll put an end to this- Hey!_ " She stood up, accidentally knocking over her can of beer. "What the hell are you two doing now? Posing?" Yusuke, who had been in the midst of trying to fold his arms over themselves in an impersonation of a pretzel, looking up at them with a goofy grin. Next to him, Remi was sprawled out in a half split, right leg extended out directly under Yusuke's arms.

"Duuuh, we're playing _twister_!" Yusuke slur- yelled.

"I'm obviously winning." Remi yelled out from her awkward spot under Yusuke. Said boy suddenly gave a cheeky grin, as he turned slightly to look down at her, eyes twinkling in mischief.

"… Not for long…"

"What, what's that supposed to- **GAH, GROSS! YOU FARTED!** " Remi's legs shook as she flinched away from the awful smell, buckling under her weight. Yusuke cackled loudly, falling right on top of her who struggle to get away as Yusuke let another one rip.

Otoni chuckled from his seat next to the comatose Keiko, rolling his eyes. "Wow."

"Hey, why don't we play chug the bottle?" Yusuke suggested.

"NO. You two are already shit drunk as it is." Shizuru countered, rounding up all of the empty bottles. "I think it's time to call it quits."

"Aww, c'mon Shizuru, don't be a party pooper!" Yusuke slurred. Shuuichi stood beside him.

"Shizuru is right. You do want to be able to get on more rides tomorrow, correct?"

"Ehh, you're right." Yusuke laughed, rolling off of Remi. "Alright, fine, _mom_. I'm hitting the sack. Oh shit." The raven haired boy exclaimed, looking over to his passed out fiancé. "Her folks ain't gonna be happy if she comes back with the hangover from hell." He sighed, walking over to Keiko and picking her up. "Man, you're such a lightweight, babe." Yusuke whispered as he went back into the hotel, bidding them all goodnight.

"Let me help you." Remi looked up to see Shuuichi smiling down at her with his hand out. Sniffling, Remi happily accepted his hand, laughing as she nearly stumbled. Shuuichi's hands held her steady as she leaned into him.

"…" Remi closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the world around her start to spin out of control. "… I think I drank too much…"

"Yes, you did." Shuuichi said with mirth. He watched her over, noting how her swaying had become more pronounced as the night progressed.

"Wait." Remi's eyes fluttered open. "Who won?"

"Well." Shuuichi started off, walking slowly as he led Remi inside. "Yusuke possibly won. On a technicality…" Remi scrunched up her face.

"He farted, that should be against the rules or something…"

"If it counts- I believe you won, Remi." Shuuichi offered, gripping her side tighter when he felt her start to lean the opposite side as they entered the hotel. "You won fair and square."

Remi gave him a smile, her stomach fluttering with what felt like butterflies in the pit of her stomach. The smile turned into a horror-ed grimace, however, as Remi leaned over to her left, barfing right on Shuuichi's sneakers. After the heaving stopped, Remi collapsed into a heap on the floor, groaning as she just layed there.

…. How fucking **embarrassing** …

* * *

Shuuichi quietly entered, closing the door to Remi's hotel room. He held a bottle of water, and a hangover pill he had gotten from Shizuru earlier. He looked over to the haggard Remi, who was snuggled up into what appeared to be a ball of human limbs and blankets. A groan escaped from under the pile every so often, signaling that Remi was indeed- _at least_ somewhat conscious. "I brought you some medicine, Remi."

"Ugh…." She groaned. "I feel likes shit."

Shuuichi offered her a sympathetic smile. "… You drank like it as well, to be honest."

"You're- you're shoes. I'm sorry about your shoes, Shuuichi! I'm really sorry!" Remi made move to unwind herself from the pile, but Shuuichi sat on the edge of her bed, pushing the medicine and bottle of water in front of her.

"Do not fret about my shoes. I put them in the laundry room."

"I'm sooo sorry, I've never drank before, but I thought I was handling it pretty well, and then Yusuke challenges me to a drink off, and I wanted to kick his ass in it, and then-"

Shuuichi chuckled. "- Perhaps taking Yusuke's challenge was your down fall." ' _Yusuke has a high tolerance to alcohol now due to being a Mazoku. Yet he still pretended to be drunk…_ ' He thought, a cryptic smile almost appearing on his face.

Remi nodded in agreement. The bottle was almost half empty now. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Hey."

"Yes?"

"Can… Can you stay?" Shuuichi raised a brow, unsure of what to say. "I-I mean, n-not like that, _**oh my god.**_ That's not w-what I meant!" Remi hid herself under the blankets, face as red as a tomato. "I-I mean like, uhm, I-I'm not feeling too good, and Otoni gets real cranky if he wakes up without having enough of his sleep, and I really don't want to be alone feeling like shit right n-now…" She trailed off quietly.

For a while, Shuuichi stared at the pile of blankets she was under in silence with rigid shoulders, seemingly to contemplate Remi's words. For a moment, Shuuichi had been honestly surprised. Such a request from someone like Remi would have warranted to be out of the norm- after all he, _had_ assumed already how Remi acted, and she was definitely **not** the type to do **that.** Their previous game of spin the bottle and the never have I ever pretty much confirmed to him of her innocence. For a small moment… Shuuichi had felt Youko stir at the 'invitation', feeling his cheeks start to flush pink at the images of demonesses from his past life…

…

Shuuichi paused.

… Was Youko his past life..? The redhead's brow burrowed deeply. He was a demon trapped in an empty human body as his spiritual vessel, yet before he had never thought that his time as the Demon Thief Youko Kurama had been as if he were someone else. Yet here he was, having referred to himself as his own past life… Shuuichi frowned.

… He was Youko, Kurama. Yes, his body was that of a human- but his soul had never been _**human**_. He had been a demon hiding in the guise of a human until Spirit World had caught up. The only reason why he still remained in the Human World was his attachment to his human mother, and the friendship between Yusuke and the others deemed him to an almost sort of _brotherhood_. Then there was his human guise Shuuichi Minamino…

"- _You don't have to stay, Shuuichi. Sorry to ask for something as weird as that._ "

He looked over at her once more, shaking his head as he smiled. "As I have said, there is no need to apologize to me. Besides, I do not mind keeping you company. You are not feeling well, after all." Shuuichi trailed off, crossing his legs. Hesitating for a moment, Shuuichi reach out his hand, finding Remi's under the blanket and holding it firmly. "… I will stay."

Remi blinked for a couple of seconds, before a small smile spread across her face. "… Thanks Shuuichi…" Remi said. She moved, scooting over to make space for him to rest on the bed.

…

* * *

…

Otoni opened his eyes, immediately sitting up.

"That's pretty fucking creepy, you know… Watching someone in their sleep." His gaze trailed over to his left, unblinking as the curtains shifted, and Faust appeared out from behind them with a chuckle.

"You looked so peaceful; I couldn't help to wake you." Faust answered.

"Let's cut to the chase. You came to me, instead of summoning. I can only imagine what the hell you could want." Otoni swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

Faust watched him for a while, before he turned to look outside the now uncovered windows, watching as the orange and purple hues that painted the sky started to shift into a clear blue, the sun making its slow appearance. "…"

Otoni was growing annoyed by the second at Faust's silence. "Well? What the hell do you need, Faust? This isn't exactly the place or time."

"He's here."

Otoni's eye twitched involuntarily. "Excuse me?" Faust turned to him now, a look of anger stretching his face as he took a few brisk steps forward.

" _ **He found her.**_ " Slowly, the color drained from Otoni's face as he mulled over the words, a heavy feeling rising from his stomach. "He hasn't been in the Human World for long, but somehow he was able to track her down."

"…" Otoni's jaw tensed as he curled a side of his lips upwards, unaware of the snarl and growl slowly rising in volume. A quick look from Faust made the raven aware of his actions, and he un-tensed, recollecting his usual neutral demeanor. "…"

Faust sighed. "I suppose it was only a matter of time. It was silly to think we could have hid Remi from him forever. After all, your kin aren't exactly your typical demons."

"… When I was still a child, there was this story my kin used to always tell the children at night. A long time ago, before there were things alive, and the Earth was still one world instead of three, there was a great spirit, who had been born from the energy of the great void the humans call the universe…" Faust listened on. For as long as he knew the boy, not once had he spoken about his kin. "The Great Spirit was always alone, and soon, grew tired of it. Deciding he didn't want the loneliness anymore, the Great Spirit decided to split itself in two, and create another spirit of the great void. When the Great Spirit split itself in two, he was surprised to find that his copy wasn't exactly like himself. But it didn't matter, because he no longer was alone. Much time passed on, but the Great Spirit didn't notice his copy start to change, and eventually the Great Spirit's copy became something so unrecognizable and full of hate, that the Great Spirit no longer could bear presence to his copy. But the world they lived in was vast, yet no matter where the Great Spirit fled to, the copy always found it. So the Great Spirit yearned to escape to another world, and leave this one to the copy. The world left to the copy ended up becoming the Demon World. In a desperate fight against the copy, the Great Spirit split himself in two again, and was able to slip into another world created by the immense energy of the two combined from their battle. This new world became Spirit World. This world was much more pure, and uncorrupted by the copy's negative energy. Elated, the Great Spirit wished to see this world full of life as well, and so he split himself again, creating all sorts of different kinds of life and versions of itself. But the battle with his copy had taken a toll on the Great Spirit… When it split itself again, it was unable to stop. It took so much energy, that it ended up creating a new world- Human World, and scattered the Great Spirit into many little pieces across this new world. The bigger pieces were left behind in the second world, of Spirit, while the small pieces scattered about the new third world, of Human. The copy in the 1st world, of Demon was saddened by the Great Spirit's 'death', that it vowed to kill all of its creations, which it believed to be the reason of its death. That's the story of how the three worlds came to be."

"… That's a cute story." Faust said after some time. "But how it's relevant to the situation-"

Otoni raised a brow. "Well you didn't let me finish. I was going to mention that the Great Spirit- the creator of all life to have ever existed on Earth, was said to have great powerful wings that could clear skies as far as the eyes could see. It had tears that could form vast oceans, and when it spoke, it melted anything in its sight. That sounds a lot like a Dragon to me…"

"…" Faust smirked. "So you're saying your kin ancestor created all this-" Faust waved his hand in the space between them. "- all because he was lonely, and couldn't handle the responsibility? How _tragic_."

"Story or not, what I'm implying is that no matter where Remi goes, or how much we try to hide her energy- _that energy doesn't belong to her, and it's going to look for its original owner._ "

"Incorrect." Faust scoffed. "You know I've done much research on the origins of spirit energy, and it's capabilities of being copied and transferred, but it's impossible forit being _self aware_. Spirit energy can be stolen- it can even be transferred into another vessel, as long as the body remains healthy at the time, but if you're trying to tell me that _**his**_ spirit energy is calling out to him like some sort of a distress signal-"

"- It's only a theory." Otoni answered simply. "I'm not saying it's true or not, but remember that my kin aren't your typical demons. Before the worlds were split up, and the Barrier was put in place- Dragon kin pretty much ruled the Earth. Humans at that time were just beginning to civilize into modernity, but they were weak against Spirits, or Demons. Humans discovered they could possess spirit energy too, and started using it. It's the reason you have a lot of spirit energy, Faust… Because all humans who possess strong spiritual energy are the descendants of those humans."

"Yet before _**his**_ energy became attached to my daughter, her spirit energy was almost noen existent."

"Not everyone is like you. I heard that the current Spirit Detective had his Spirit Energy dormant for years, until he came back from the dead. Surprisingly, Spirit World still keeps him around even though this guy likes to go into Demon World and start fights with just about any Demon he could find just to have an excuse to kill them."

That doesn't matter." Faust quipped, glaring at him. "The current Spirit Detective is a fool if he's letting the Spirit Barrier anomaly go on for this long."

Otoni pursed his lip. A thought crossed him, brief and fleeting, but he almost felt as if he had met said Spirit Detective before. Otoni was sure he hadn't. He had been very careful to avoid Spirit World's radar without their knowledge that he even existed. Although- that was partly due to the fact that his kin's ancestry was so old, and was able to maintain itself unchanged in the forbidden zone of Demon World. Otoni even doubted that there was a soul alive today that truly believed in the existence of Dragons, besides those crazy Dungeons and Dragons otakus he would see around his home every morning, deep in an imaginary battle in what was supposed to be a children's card game. "…"

Otoni scoffed, shaking his head. "Did you even have a plan on the off chance he would find her, Faust?"

"…"

Faust's shoulders tensed. The mood in Otoni's room was thick with tension, yet Faust kept a good grip on his poker face. "… Perhaps I was a fool." Faust drawled out, turning around. "I believed it could have been contained with you, given that you're part of the same Dragon Kin as _**him**_ \- but I do not think it was the right choice." At this, Otoni frowned.

"… It was the best we could do with a situation that was way out of our control, Faust. You didn't know it would latch onto her like that… But I do think you're a fool." Faust looked back at him, silent. "… You shouldn't have taken his energy. He's not going to stop until he takes it back. Not at Remi's discretion by the way…" Otoni's voice lowered to a whisper. " _You don't_ _ **know**_ _him, Faust. You think you do, but he's much worse than what you can imagine… We may be of the same kin, but I'm not considered his equal. This curse is a mark of property. In Dragon kin, we're very possessive about material things. That's why there's so many tales about Dragons guarding castles full of unimaginable treasure. It's why in the Old World, we were so revered. If we lose possession of something- there's nothing to stop us._ " Otoni watched him carefully, before continuing. "… _**You need to find a way to get his energy out of her, Faust.**_ "

"That's not a pressing manner." Faust answered smoothly, smiling as he saw the anger rise in Otoni. "How cute- you've seemed to grow so attached to my daughter."

" **You're just the sperm donor. You're no father to her.** " Otoni said coldly. "… It hasn't changed her for now, but his energy- it's not something a human body can handle. I'm surprised Remi's been doing fine for this long, but I can feel it start to eat away on my protective seal. I thought I had his energy under control so that it wouldn't harm her, but I'm not so sure anymore. And I'm not sure you have Remi's safety in mind anymore either."

"…"

"…"

…

Faust suddenly burst out in laughter. "Cheeky!"

"Fuck you." He spat.

"I'll pass." Faust cleared his throat. The mirth from earlier was now gone, as he took on a more serious note. "I will only mention this once to you, _boy_ \- but what I do is certainly not Remi's business. She does not need to know any of this." Remi's father stared at Otoni with unhidden malice, almost as if he wanted him to counter back, and defy his words. "And don't you dare ever say I don't have my daughter's best interest in mind, **boy**." Otoni only stood in silence, gaze unwavering as the rays of sunlight finally got stronger, and lit up the room. "… That boy is the new Spirit Detective, by the way."

Otoni's eyes widened a little, before he turned back to lie down against his bed. He could hear the loud yell of someone down across the hall at the very end, and could only guess that his vacation companions were starting to rise. "Which one, the redhead, or the wild one." He stated, not asked. Otoni's thoughts from earlier had been- _somewhat_ near the truth.

Faust looked back at him, scoffing. "Your senses are weak, boy. It's obvious that the black-haired one is the Spirit Detective. Surely you've felt something off about him."

"Yusuke's a Mazoku. I'm pretty sure about that. But the red-haired one has demon energy as well. It's muted, but I definitely felt it." Otoni trailed off. He looked up at the ceiling blankly. "I'm sure they've sensed me too."

"What will you do about it, boy? Spirit World is uncomfortably close to her."

"If they get any closer, I will kill them."

Faust raised a brow. "Will you really?" He didn't believe a word of it. "Because you've grown soft living amongst the humans, boy."

"Don't underestimate me, Faust." Otoni sighed. "… Do you know where he is?"

Faust shook his head, although he was aware that Otoni couldn't see it from his spot on the bed. "He's elusive."

"Of course."

"Boy." Otoni looked up, sensing the change in the atmosphere of the room. Faust looked at him with a smirk. "You'd better do something about that _hindrance_ , boy. I expect to see results."

"Maybe instead of asking me to do something about it, you should make your move." Otoni answered.

Faust scoffed. "Spirit World thinks I'm dead- ghosts don't come back."

Otoni shook his head. "Careful, Faust. Or that's going to be your downfall." Faust said nothing, only disappearing behind the curtains as the room was now fully illuminated in the morning sun. As he got up to get ready for the day, a familiar noise caused his ears to twitch, and he turned towards the door. For once, Otoni was glad that for the most part, he had lost sensitivity of the majority of his senses. Had he still possessed all of his energy, the noise would have been annoying…

… Only because of the implication. It was the sound of Remi's door at the end of the hall opening. She had woken up early for once, something that slightly annoyed the raven haired boy as it usually was so difficult for Ms. Rosario to wake up her daughter, she often had to call him over. Feeling the beginnings of irk appearing on his face, Otoni opened his door. He had all the intention to call her out on the fact that she was actually up, but all intentions to tease her left his senses as he saw red appear from Remi's room…

… Shuuichi Minamino walked out of Remi's room, shutting the door gently as he made way towards his own room, but halted in his steps as he looked up, and met gazes with Otoni.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Adieu until next time!~**


	11. Chapter 11 Down The Rabbit Hole

" _Lil' bro._ " A feeling of rushing water tickled my senses.

" _I don't know if you can hear me…_ " Coldness crept over me, dulling my toes and fingertips. " _Where the hell are you, lol' bro..? I don't even know if you're okay or not- but don't you think you've been away for too long..?_ " Floating? I feel like I'm floating. Hell- it feels pretty nice. Wait a second… Where am I anyways..? "… _**I'm scared, Kazuma.**_ "

Kazuma…

 **Kazuma…**

…

… Why the hell couldn't I open my eyes?! A sudden feeling of something sharp grazing my side made me flinch, mouth open to let out a small yelp of pain, but I couldn't. My mouth felt full, and so cold. I think I was gargling, and I couldn't catchy my breath. I could feel my lungs strain. The coldness felt wet- h-holy crap- I'm in _water_ … I'm _**DROWNING!**_

" _ **KAZUMA!**_ "

GAAASP!

Kuwabara Kazuma emerged, gasping desperately for air as he trashed about like a fish out of water. Limbs flailing wildly, Kuwabara yelled as he spun around, looking for land. His flailing increased when he spotted a nearby tree branch that swooped far from the edge of what appeared to be a massive river. Kuwabara grunted as he felt a sudden current threaten to suck him underwater. "AHH!" Reaching up, he grasped the tree branch tightly, raising himself atop the branch with his body tightly grasping the thick branch, koala-like fashion. "What the hell!" He practically screeched, not budging an inch from his spot. Below him, a small strange looking frog dived into the water. "I do **not** remember how I got here…." Kuwabara muttered, inching back the tree branch to jump off on land.

… What the hell happened? Better yet, **where** was here, and where was Hiei? He couldn't remember, yet he suddenly realized that wherever _here_ was, he could feel how wrong the energy felt.

Kuwabara's brows burrowed down, finally taking notice of the strange scenery around him. As far as his eyes could see, the river extended through the thick black foliage of the surrounding trees. It's bark looked like boils, bubbles extending the grooves of the bark far beyond the tree trunk. The black leaves rustled gently in the wind. Beyond the tree lines, he could see tall jagged mountains far off in the distance, the snow on the mountain tops reflecting dull lavender. Kuwabara looked down at his shoes, noting how the pale grey grass shifted, strange light emitting from each blade of oddly colored grass whenever the wind swept through them. He peered up towards the sky, confused at the array of dark streaks of purple and orange. Large black clouds swirled violently in the distance, the sign of an incoming storm that seemed to focus on the mountains. A quick glimpse of lightning brightened the black clouds for just a couple of seconds, but Kuwabara nearly stopped breathing. As the lightning illuminated the clouds, the shadow of something large moving through them almost made him think he was hallucinating. Kuwabara focused his gaze on the clouds, trying to spot it again.

As time passed by, Kuwabara's curiosity only intensified, eyes narrowing when another silent display of lightning illuminated the clouds. A third lightning. Then a fourth- this one was accompanied with thunder, seemingly shaking the air. Kuwabara took a few steps forward, stepping over a fallen tree branch. His heebie jeebies feeling he got whenever he was in the presence of large amounts of energy was making the baby hairs at the back of his neck and sides of his temple stand up. Kuwabara felt the odd sense of electricity in the air, clashing with his body as he kept his gaze deadlocked on the storm cloud above the mountains. Lightning illuminated the clouds once more…

… Something in the clouds coiled about… A head of some large creature unfolded from the writhing mass, mouth agape as a roar trembled through the air and land.

… Now _that_ was _**NOT**_ a hallucination.

… Kuwabara's eyes widened. "HIEI!" Silence was the only thing that answered him. The rush of adrenaline made his ears buzz. Or perhaps it was the roar of whatever creature that was swirling in the clouds, Kuwabara wasn't sure. And he definitely didn't want to find out. Yet beyond his fear, Kuwabara was acutely aware that he needed to find Hiei, and try to figure out what the hell happened after they located the anomaly at the edge of Demon World. Something Hiei mentioned made Kuwabara pause for some reason. Before he blacked out and ended up here, Hiei had said something about the anomaly being close to the Forbidden Zone of Demon World. Could that be where he was? He wasn't sure, but it was his best bet. Maybe the anomaly sucked them into the Forbidden Zone. Maybe it opened up another dimension, and Kuwabara was now stuck in between. Whatever the deal was, he needed to find Hiei first, and then try to get in touch with the gang. "Oi, short stack! Where the _hell_ are you?! You better not have died, you heard! That would be so lame!" Kuwabara yelled, looking around.

A rock suddenly hit his head. Hard. "Owww, what the hell?!"

Silence only answered him.

Kuwabara scoffed, eyes narrowing. "From what I remember, I started feeling weird once we got real close to the anomaly, but I can't remember anything after that. Wait a sec'." He dug into his uniform pocket, taking out his communicator. Giving a brief prayer that the device still worked, Kuwabara pushed the on button, face contorting in a look of glee when the device's screen blink on. His face fell however, when he noticed the little icon on the top of the device flash a bright red X. The communicator wasn't working. There was no signal. "Dammit!"

Another rock bounced off the back of his head. The tall teen whipped back, assuming a fight stance as he scanned the trees for the culprit. "Who's there?!" This time, the rustle of a nearby bush answered him. Kuwabara pursed his lips. Extending his hand out, he formed his Spirit Sword, and brought it in front of him as he slowly turned all around, focusing his energy to stake out anything nearby. It was hard though, because the weird energy of this place was almost too overbearing for him to really concentrate on anything else.

Rustling to his right catched his attention, and Kuwabara turned to face it. He felt a shiver of fear creep up from his spine when he barely just caught the glow of two yellow eyes disappearing from between the foliage. "!"

Something behind him fell, and Kuwabara jumped. He looked back with sweat rolling down his temple as a creature that oddly resembled some kind of a raccoon scurried next to him, holding the carcass of something in its mouth. The strange creature peered up at him, eyes reflecting golden as it soon lost interest, and scurried away once more. Kuwabara let out a sigh of breath, a hand wiping away the sweat from his temple. He turned, and nearly screeched.

Hiei was only centimeters away from him, crimson eyes glaring holes at him.

"What the hell, Hiei!" Kuwabara whisper yelled. "You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Did the dog like his leisurely swim?" Hiei quipped, earning an angered scowl form Kuwabara.

"You could've helped me, asshole- I was going to drown, and you just _watched? Real demon like of you, by the way._ "

Hiei scoffed. "You were in no immediate danger. There was no need."

"Oh my god- you're a monster." Kuwabara shook his head, He breathed out a heavy sigh, crossing his arms. "How are we going to get back? We got no way of contacting Spirit World."

"Do you feel the energy?"

"?" Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, it's weird. Doesn't really feel like demon or spirit energy. It's giving me the jeebies real bad, I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"I'll bet your life on it that it's the reason of the anomaly near the Forbidden Zone."

"Yeah, most likely- hey! Don't bet _**my**_ _life_ on it, ass! Hiei, ugh, wait up! Where the hell are you going?!"

"Hurry up." Hiei called back, before sprinting off.

"What the hell, Hiei!"

Kuwabara called out after him, speeding up to catch up with the fast fire demon. The ground flattened out now, opening up to a clearing littered with dead, charred trees. The smell of ash hung heavily in the air, as well as particles of embers still glowing red floating in the air. Hiei frowned, peering back briefly towards Kuwabara as he stopped, annoyance creeping up on his features. "You're unbearably slow!"

"Not every one's freaking sonic the hedgehog speed like you!" Kuwabara wheezed, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. "Jeez, it looks like the fires of hell blazed through and wrecked this place. What do you think could have happened?"

Hiei raised a brow. "Obviously nothing good."

"Have you seen anything? Earlier by the river, I could've sworn I saw a pair of yellow eyes looking at me from the trees, but I'm not so sure. One thing I'm sure is that this place is weird and creepy looking as hell." Kuwabara said.

"I sensed movement here. A battle went on here not too long ago. Look at the grass, it's scorched but still looks hot."

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah. Look at how much is scorched, though. Whatever happened was huge and happened real quick. This doesn't look good." Their attention was quickly drawn away at the sudden sound of a roar.

"Holy crap…" Kuwabara muttered just as a large winged creature emerged from behind the jagged mountains, a roar so loud, it shook the ground beneath them.

… A dragon…

Kuwabara rubbed his eyes, but he only gulped as Hiei took off. "Hiei- _It's a fucking_ _ **DRAGON…**_ "

Hiei frowned.

"Impossible…" His voice trailed off, features deepening into a frown.

… It looked like his tattoo, but that was impossible. He was the only current wielder of the Darkness Flames, yet-

The large creature dived back down, disappearing behind the mountains.

" _ **There's a FUCKING DRAGON!**_ " Kuwabara yelled again, frenzied.

"… Yes. Yes there is…" Hiei muttered. A strange feeling came over him. Could it have been another wielder of the flames? No. His brows burrowed. It looked too real, too solid. Were the stories he heard in passing as a child, true then? Never in a million years would he have thought that a children's tale he had come across, would have been true. Yet Kuwabara was right, there was that thing that looked exactly like the depictions on a human book he had watched a human read out in the park once. It was not a wielder of the Darkness Flames, yet that only bothered Hiei. What did that mean? Was Darkness Flames merely an imitation of this beast..? His gaze darkened.

"… _We're going after it._ "

Kuwabara looked at him as if he had grown another head. "Are you _crazy_..?"

"That thing looks just like my Darkness Flame."

Kuwabara was taken aback. "Holy shit…"

* * *

"Everyone ready?" Shizuru called out, opening the trunk of her car. Peering back, Remi gave the older woman a smile, struggling with her luggage.

"Thanks for driving us back, Shizuru." Said woman nodded, shrugging with nonchalance.

"Kid, it's not a problem. Saves your mom a trip and some gas, at least."

A tug on the handle of her luggage made her look back. Otoni had approached her, swiftly taking her luggage out of her grasp and placing it in the trunk of the car without a word. Raising a brow, she approached him.

His hood was up, obscuring his face from view. Okay, kind of emo- but not un-Otoni like. So why did it feel weird around him? "Thanks Otoni. I looked like I was really struggling there, huh?" She laughed, but it soon died down as the raven haired boy didn't turn around to look at her. "Okay?"

Otoni merely gave a small shrug, walking off back into the lobby of the hotel to get his bag.

"…" Shizuru looked at the boy. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something, Mr. Grinch?"

"Just tired." Was all that Otoni answered before he disappeared inside.

Shizuru said nothing, before giving a little scoff when she saw the confused look on Remi's face. "Is he usually like that? Yesterday he was practically charming the pants off me." It was meant as a joke, but a smile curled on Shizuru's lips at the sight of pink blossoming across the younger girl's face.

"…"

What was with him? He was fine yesterday- well, as fine as someone could be around a bunch of strangers- but he did look like he was having at least a bit of fun. So why was he like this today? "Otoni is usually quiet a bit…" Remi trailed off. "… But not like this. He always banters with me, but- he only gets like that when he's really pissed off…" Why? Remi looked down towards the ground. '… _Did I piss him off somehow?_ ' She thought, guilt rising from the pit of her stomach. ' _Maybe he's annoyed we tried to get him to drink so much last night._ '

"- Well you're dad's gonna be here any minute, so sober the hell up." Yusuke's voice could be heard from the lobby, loud as always.

"I never should have played that game with you guys. You're pretty much a raging alcoholic." Keiko muttered, but Remi was still able to catch it. She let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

A car approached the hotel's parking lot just then. Yusuke looked nervous for a second, shooting Keiko an 'Oh shit' look. "… Well, speak of the devil…"

A large burly man waved at them with a bright smile.

"Hello there! Oh, Shizuru- it's been so long!" Shizuru let out a happy laugh.

"Mr. Yukimura! Man, how it's good to see you again!" The man turned off his engine, stepping out as Shizuru walked over to him. "How's the shop and Missus?"

"Going dandy as always!" Mr. Yukimura answered proudly. "Well, just last week we got some sort of big fancy shmansy food critic from Tokyo come in, and he loved it! Left a real nice review of us. My wife mentioned you last night, actually. She was wondering how you where fairing."

"Aww, you guys were worried about lil' old me?"

Mr. Yukimura let out a boisterous laugh. "You should come over sometime. We'll whip you up some real good ramen!" Shizuru laughed.

"Well that sounds real good, Mr. Yukimura. I think I'll take you up on your offer on Friday. My job's been asking me to do double shifts lately, it's a real drag."

"But hey, more money!" Mr. Yukimura winked.

"Hey Mr. Yukimura." Yusuke said as he and Keiko approached.

"Well if it isn't my good boy, Yusuke." Remi snorted, rolling her eyes. Her cheeks flushed a bit when she noticed him look over at her.

"Um, hi, I'm Remi Rosario."

Mr. Yukimura nodded with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Remi. I'm this kid's in law, hahaha. Keiko! I'm glad you're making more girly friends! You hang around too much testosterone." Keiko only groaned in embarrassment.

"Well, we're gonna head out now. I'll call you later, Shizuru." Keiko said, before looking over at Remi. "Thanks for coming. I hope you didn't feel left out since it was a triple date of sorts."

Remi shook her head. "It's cool. I had a lot of fun."

"My apologies for taking so long." They all heard Shuuichi call out as he exited the Inn. "Oh, hello Mr. Yukimura- san. It's been quite a while."

Keiko smirked. Taking the chance while Shuuichi was bringing his things and speaking to her dad, she leaned closer to give Remi a hug, whispering something in her ear. Yusuke watched in amusement as Remi's eyes widened, then her cheeks lit up like Christmas lights. "I'll have Yusuke text me your number so we can chat about it later, okay? Bye everyone!" And with that, Keiko hauled Yusuke and her dad off, entering the car.

Yusuke, as nosy as he always was, didn't miss a beat on asking his fiancé just what exactly she had whispered to Remi back there. "Well, spill it. Wa' ja say to make miss prude all worked up like that?"

Keiko's smirk grew bigger. "Oh, I just told her that the next time we all hanged out together like this- that she would already have made her move on Shuuichi, is all."

Yusuke blinked, slowly grinning. "Yeah, she has it bad for him. I told him so!"

"Oh my god, you _told_ Shuuichi that?" Keiko shook her head. "You broke a girl code, Yusuke."

"Fuck that shit. I just pointed out the obvious." Yusuke said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Is Shuuichi interested in Remi?" Mr. Yukimura asked as he started the car. He lived for drama like this. It didn't help that he had managed to get Keiko and his wife hooked on Korean Dramas either.

Keiko and Yusuke both shrugged. It was Yusuke, however, who answered. "I dunno. He doesn't talk about that kind of stuff. For all the years I've known him, he's never even looked at a girl if it wasn't to keep up his 'good gentleman' role. I just know that the loser has the hots for him, and it's pretty friggin' obvious." Yusuke did wonder what Shuuichi would do since he found out about Remi's crush on him. Well, she never said it, but Yusuke wasn't that oblivious… Not anymore, at least. "Just butt out of this, babe. Don't try to meddle, or set them up or shit."

"What, why not?" Keiko pouted.

She thought it would be so cute seeing them together. She had noticed how gentle Shuuichi had been towards her during their time at Takeda. Shizuru had even mentioned once during the fireworks something about those two being spiritually aware of each other in a way that led Keiko to believe she was trying to say they were soul mates or something. Which the older woman only laughed about, claiming she was totally twisting her words around. "No offense to Shuuichi-" They were off Takeda grounds, nearing the entrance for the highway. "- but I doubt he's skilled in the love department. What's wrong with a little push?" Yusuke grimaced.

"Yeah, don't do that. You know he puts business before anything else." Yusuke said it carefully, not wanting to blurt out any information about their current mission involving Remi, or anything related to his Spirit Detective work. "I gotta feeling that'll only complicate things. Just let' em be. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. What's with that funny look, Keiko? You too, Mr. Yukimura?" Yusuke asked as the two Yukimura's continued to gawk at him. "Jeez, eyes on the road."

"You've changed a lot, son. I'm surprised." Mr. Yukimura exclaimed, turning his attention back to the road.

"Yeah, I never expected you to say something like that, Yusuke." Keiko said, in awe. "Are you even still Yusuke?"

Said boy rolled his eyes. "You guys are lame."

…

Remi chanced a look at the rear view mirror from her seat in the front of Shizuru's car. For some reason, she felt nervous. Otoni and Shuuichi were quiet in the backseat, both of them not giving any indication at feeling the weird tense atmosphere in the car. She held in a sigh, opting to quickly look back out of her window as Shuuichi starts to look her way.

There was no other form of distraction from the tense energy. Shizuru was starting to get annoyed. She didn't even have to look up at her rear view mirror to guess that something happened between the two. Yusuke hadn't seemed bothered. ' _Jeez, Kurama could've at least waited until we'd gotten back, away from the possibility of Remi finding out anything Kurama's as calm as ever..._ ' She thought.

Man, how she desperately needed a drag right about now. "Are you guys hungry, or somethin' ?" She finally broke the silence. Really, all she wanted was to get out of the suffocating energy trapped in her car.

"I'm good." Otoni answered quietly.

"I ate before we left." Shuuichi smiled.

Shizuru felt her hope start to slip. She quickly eyed Remi, hoping the girl would catch the drift. Remi looked to be deep in thought, before she answered. "Actually, yeah. My stomach doesn't feel like crap anymore. I'm hungry."

A brief look of relief passed her features as she nodded. "Cool, I'll stop by the next exit to see what to get. There's a small outlet a couple of miles away."

* * *

The trip back to Sarayashiki was uneventful. The ride back was still full tense awkwardness. Remi had gotten off, expecting Otoni to go back inside with her. Otoni had surprised her, saying he was going to have Shizuru drive him back home. Shuuichi had been long gone by then.

Remi sighed, hearing her brother's soft footsteps nearing the door to her room. "Yeah?"

"Mom wants to know what you want for lunch." Cecilio's voice came out muffled from behind the door.

"You can come in, you know." She heard her brother pause for a moment, before her younger brother came in. "Well, I ate already on my way back, so I'm not hungry."

Her brother shrugged. "Okay." He turned to leave, but stopped when Remi called his name again.

"What's with that?"

"With what?"

"That look. You look like someone pissed in your cereal. Twice."

"Nothing." Remi raised a brow, clearly not buying it. As good as his poker face was, she could definitely tell that he was sulking. "Did you get in trouble with mom?"

"…" Her brother didn't answer. And he didn't need to.

"Cecilio…" Remi motioned for him to sit down next to her on her bed. "I know we don't really talk much, and can barely get along- but ever since we moved here, you've been acting like a teenager in angst. It's not cute." It was meant as a joke, but Cecilio burrowed his brows in barely concealed annoyance.

"What do you know, Remi?!"

"…" Remi's mouth slacked a little. It was the first time she had ever heard her brother raise his voice. "What's with you-"

"I fucking hate it here!"

"…"

"…"

Remi stared at him, unsure of what to say. Her brother let out a loud sigh filled with frustration, before getting up suddenly. "Whatever. Just forget I said anything."

"Bro, wait!" She grabbed his wrist. "I had no idea you felt that way-"

"Yeah, you don't- none of you guys ever do. It's like you're all in your own little world."

Remi frowned. "Well, you never protested when mom asked if you were okay with moving. You never said shit, even when I tried to get you to go sightseeing. How were we supposed to know you felt that way..? I can't read your mind, Cecilio…" She trailed off. Cecilio was quiet, and she thought about how awkward it was to have _this_ conversation now, of all the times. "Sit down. We can talk about it."

"…"

"You know…" Remi started off, awkwardly scratching her cheek as she found the words to say. "I was really upset when mom told us we had to move at first. I was mad because I didn't want to leave the rest of our family back. The only friends I had were the kids of dad's business partners, so I wasn't worried about missing them. Or making new ones because of that. But I get what you mean by hating it… I hate having to start our lives over in a new place every time dad's job says he has to." Remi grabbed Cecilio's palm, enclosing it with hers. "But in all those times, it's always been us together. Dad never left by himself- we've been a family through all of this, no matter how many miles away from _home_ may be. For now, this is home bro. Think about it this way- we're only going to be here for two years, one if dad settles his business fast. That time's going to pass by so fast; we'll be back in the States before you know it."

"You make it sound like a jail sentence." Cecilio scoffed, but a small smile formed on his lips.

"… You still talk to that cute girl, Esmeralda or something, right?"

Cecilio laughed. "Her name's Esperanza. And yeah, we still talk. Why?"

"Ask her out."

"Are you crazy?"

"If she says yes, which she will- I'll ask mom to let us go back home for Christmas break. You've been friends with that girl since what, middle school? Grow a pair."

"Mom will never let us. And no, I don't need to _grow_ a pair." Cecilio said.

"I'm pretty convincing. Plus, our grades have been pretty good so far. So she wouldn't say no." Remi said. "But any who- I'm only saying that because what if she gets a boyfriend? 'Cuz you were too slow to ask her out, and missed your chance?"

"I don't want to make things weird."

Remi sighed, rolling her eyes. "If she was a true friend, that wouldn't get in between of your friendship. Just saying. You can't hope for something if you never even try to make it happen, Cecilio. Just don't spend forever trying to chase a girl that's obviously not noticing you _that_ way."

"How are you of all people, giving me love advice…" Cecilio muttered.

Remi snorted. "Well, it's not rocket science."

At this, he rolled his eyes. "No, I mean that all this time and you still haven't noticed Ot- never mind." Remi raised a brow.

"What? Noticed what?"

"Forget it. You're really dense."

"Uh, rude. What were you going to say, huh? You can't take it back."

"Ugh, you're annoying. Just drop it."

"Don't make me tickle you."

Otoni glared at her. "I will hurt you, don't touch me."

"Don't be an ass, Cecilio. What were you going to say?"

"…"

…

"Well?"

The door to her room opened, and Ms. Rosario peered in. "Remi, why don't you- oh." She blinked, surprised to see her two children. "Am I interrupting something?"

Otoni frowned. " No."

"Yeah."

…

Ms. Rosario smiled. "Well, I'll let you sort this out."

"Thanks."

"Thanks mom."

"… So, spill it. I don't notice what." The stare Remi was giving him annoyed him, but he looked away, letting out a deep sigh.

"… So you know how mom's always joking about how you and Otoni fight like a married couple, and that he'll be her son in law one day?" Remi rolled her eyes. Hard.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"…" Otoni paused. "Mom's not really joking. You've known him for how long?" He inquired, trying to prove a point.

"Wow." Remi whistled, deep in thought. "Since before 1st grade."

"And he's put up with you since then." Cecilio pointed out. He could tell she wasn't really getting what he was trying to say.

"We're really close. So what?"

"… Sis, most people don't stay close with their childhood friends, like how you guys are."

"I don't get what you're going at."

Sigh. "Otoni treats you… _Different._ He talks to you more, you guys share everything. He's always looking out for you like if he's your mom-"

"- Well, I just see it as him having some feminine qualities? He likes to care after people, that's all."

"He only does that with _**you.**_ "

"… Oh."

…

… _Oh, indeed…_

"…. Pssst- as if! Otoni's not- no way!" Remi vehemently countered against his words. "I think you guys are just reading too much into this. Mom too. Otoni and I are just close childhood friends. Plus, I know I'm not his type anyways. We're _practically_ like _**family**_. And Shuui-" Remi dreaded the words as soon as they came out.

"Aaand that's why I say you're so dense…" Cecilio muttered. "So that redhead guy from the other day… That's your type?"

"Whatever. You were just trying to change the subject. Think about what I said, loser!"

"Man, so your type really is feminine looking boys. Somehow I'm disappointed in you."

" **Oh my god, shut up…** "

"… So you really don't like Otoni, huh."

Remi sighed. "Cecilio, me and Otoni are just friends."

Cecilio didn't look convinced. "Uhuh. Right, because his preference in girls just so happens to be eerily similar to you."

That struck a nerve with her. "NO, it's not! What the hell- I was just trying to give you some advice and cheer you up! You don't have to be such an ass."

"I don't like that Shuuichi guy."

"You haven't even _met_ him. You just walked in and left without introducing yourself. Plus, Shuuichi's a nice guy. He's very kind…"

"Otoni's better." Was all that Cecilio said before he exited her room. Remi was left looking over dumbfounded, confused, and all sorts of weird things as she went over the crazy conversation with her younger brother just moments prior. "…What the hell..?" She just wanted to help her brother out, then somehow they got into this weird conversation! Had she not known Otoni all her life, she might have even been tempted to consider Cecilio's words, but that was laughable. Otoni wasn't interested in her… They had family zoned each other ever since they met…

… Now Cecilio was sprouting up nonsense, and even insulting a guy that- _maaaaaaaybe-_ She was interested in…

Remi burst out in laughter. ' _Jeez, my family's nuts!_ ' She thought. "Mom only says that stuff to embarrass the hell out of me, but I know she's not serious about it."

Her phone chimed from under her pillow, and she reached to see the incoming text. An unknown number flashed on the screen, before flipping her phone open, reading the text. Her eyes crinkled in humor when her phone chimed again, another message, this one from a number stored under 'asswipe' popped up. Yusuke.

She was about to respond to him, when another text popped up, also an unknown number. "?"

[ _Hey Remi, it's Keiko! My idiot gave me your number. I'll add you to a group chat, hope you don't mind!_ ]

"Group chat?" Remi quickly replied back, and opened the second unknown text. "Ah, this one's from Shizuru."

Chime!

[ _You free tomorrow?_ ]

Remi rolled her eyes at Yusuke's text. [ _Yes, why? It better not be a love confession or anything. Not interested._ ]

[ _Fuck you. For the damn project!_ ]

[ _Calm down, I was kidding, asswipe._ ] Remi cringed. [ _Oh yeah. I almost forgot, about that. Yeah, sure. I'm free tomorrow, let's meet at the rooftop at lunch._ ]

Chime!

[ _The rooftop? Don't tell me miss goody two shoes thinking about skipping class?_ ] Remi rolled her eyes.

[ _We have a free period after lunch tomorrow, remember?_ ]

After a short while, Remi heard her phone chime again. She made a small mental note to change Yusuke's notification to a funny sound. [ _… Oh. Yeah. Forgot._ ]

Chime. A text from Keiko popped up… Remi felt popular today.

[ _My dad wants to know if you want to come over for Ramen on Friday. Shizuru's coming too._ ]

Remi smiled. How a nice girl like Keiko was engaged to a brute like Yusuke, she would never know. [ _Sure. Sounds fun._ ]

Her phone chimed again. Remi opened the text, and felt her heart soar with glee at the sight of Shuuichi's name.

[ _Hello. Are you well?_ ]

Remi couldn't help the grin threatening to split her face. [ _Hi Shuuichi. Yeah, feeling ,much better. Thanks so much, Takeda was fun._ ]

… Turns out Shuuichi was a fast texter. [ _I'm glad you enjoyed it._ ]

Remi pursed her lips. She didn't know what else to write to him, but ultimately chose to thank him again. [ _And thank you for staying with me. Sorry if it was weird for you or something, and for throwing up on you- but I appreciated it You sleeping over with me, I mean._ ]

[ _No worries._ ] Remi smiled at his text. [ _Anytime you need a real life teddy bear, Remi. At your beck and call._ ]

Remi almost dropped her phone.

Chime! [ _Just kidding._ ]

She typed out a response with shaky fingers. [ _Comedian over here._ ] A smile slowly formed. [ _But seriously though, avoiding a death by vomiting in one's sleep is much appreciated, Shuuichi. And to be honest, you're a pretty comfortable teddy bear._ ] Remi shut her phone quickly, red after sending the text.

"Holy shit." She muttered. Her eyes were wide, and she felt like she had just finished a 5K marathon. She could hear her heart thumping loudly, and in embarrassment, she quickly shoved her face in her pillow, willing the thing to somehow consume her and disappear. "That's- that's not flirting right?" She questioned no one but herself aloud. "What the hell..?" Boys were so confusing.

…

In another part of Sarayashiki not too far away, Yusuke gazed up at a nearby house from within the shadows of a tree. His phone shined faintly in the stark darkness, screen illuminating a missed call from Keiko and the Spirit Detective close it shut, placing it back in his pocket. Keiko would have to wait.

Yusuke could feel his body start to become restless, a feeling of prickling needles running across his cheeks and the back of his head as anticipation and adrenaline started to take hold. From across the street, he glanced towards the spot Kurama was in, desperately waiting for the incoming confrontation that was about to happen…

It had been so long. He was done with doing nothing. Yusuke couldn't hide the ear splitting grin that flourished his features. ' _Damn, I'm actually excited about this._ ' He thought.

… They were done with this damn reconnaissance mission, or whatever the hell Koenma had them up to. _They were going to finally confront Otoni._ He almost gave his cover away when he heard footsteps coming up the pathway. Yusuke watched as the raven haired boy went up the small steps of his house with a handful of bags, and then paused. Otoni stood there for a couple of seconds, before he turned his head slightly to look over his shoulders.

"…" Shuuichi stepped out from the shadows of the house, stepping forth in front of Otoni. Yusuke watched on, as the raven suddenly started to chuckle.

"Well hello." Otoni said calmly. "I was wondering when you'd show up, Shuuichi."

"Well, my apologies for not delivering to your expectations." The redhead said with just as much calm, but Yusuke could feel the boiling energy start to release from Otoni.

' _He's sure not happy to see fox boy._ ' Yusuke thought, raising his Spirit Gun to take aim to his target… They didn't know what his power was, but there was a slight reassurance to the fact that he wasn't some kind of psychic with uncontrolled territory- just a demon with really low demonic energy. The Spirit Detective wasn't taking chances, however. Which was why he was lurking in the shadows like some creep while Kurama confronted him. Yusuke's temper would've had things going from 0 to 100 _real_ quick.

Otoni kept his smile, setting the bags down. "Well a friend of Remi's is always invited."

"May we come in?" Shuuichi said politely, although this only made Otoni laugh.

"Bullshit. You and I know you're not here to just _talk_. Cut the crap."

"No." Shuuichi admitted without pause. "I, unlike the rest of Spirit World, am a very just man. I give the option of doing things in a more diplomatic form."

"So forced interrogation is diplomatic, huh?"

"I can also have this go the undiplomatic way as well. It's up for your choosing." Shuuichi provided, raising a hand grasp something behind his left ear. "But you _will_ answer our questions accordingly."

"You should do something about your pal over there." Otoni nudged his head back towards where Yusuke was. "He's practically a walking sign of bloodlust."

Shuuichi ignored the jab, taking a small step forward. "What is your involvement with Rosario-san."

Otoni didn't answer, just stared at him with a bored look. "That's none of your business."

"Are you the reason why her spirit energy is out of control." Shuuichi took another step forward.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Who's energy is it that has attached itself unto her? It does not belong to her."

That sure shut up Otoni. The two of them kept their gazes locked on each other, none saying a word as a chilled air swept through the trees and bushes, rustling them lightly. No longer did the two hold the façade of a friendly smile. A low growl emerged from between Otoni's tightly pressed lips.

"Shuuichi Minamino- _**I'll have to kill you**_." Otoni said. Dark wisps of black energy materialized around the raven haired boy. Shuuichi threw something near Otoni's shoes that resembled poppy seeds. The raven momentarily let his eyes trail towards it just as it exploded into a thick mustard color cloud of luminous dust. ' _Shit! My reflexes are definitely much slower now that most of my energy is gone._ ' Otoni thought, and then crinkled his brows in confusion when he tried to move to attack, but found that he couldn't. Another growl erupted from his throat as he stared down the redhead. " **What the hell did you do, Minamino…** "

"Being from Demon World, you should be able to have recognized the effect. It is the seed of a Demon World fauna whose flowers paralyze any moving creature it senses in its near vicinity. Though the seeds are much more harmless, the paralyzing effect still stands." Answered Shuuichi.

Rose whip had sprung to life, effectively wrapping its thorny vines unto the paralyzed Otoni. The raven haired boy struggled against the tightening vines. His senses sharpened, pupils dilated. " _ **You shouldn't have done that.**_ " The black energy appeared around him again, and Shuuichi's eyes widened at the sight of Rose Whip's shape start to blur. As if the shape of the whip had suddenly become hazy – how one would think a mirage would look like. Shuuichi could only watch in surprise as his most prized weapon, a vine from Demon World that was indestructible start to blur from a solid vine, and dissipate entirely…

… In a few moments, Rose Whip was completely _gone_.

"…"

"Uh, Kurama..?" Yusuke called out from behind them as he approached slowly, eyes locked unto the unmoving Otoni. "If your whip fucking like- _disappeared in thin air._ Wouldn't he be able to-" Yusuke never got to finish, before Otoni's energy spiked suddenly, and the raven haired boy stretched his limbs. The luminous dust brushed off him, falling down on the ground beneath him and evaporating. "Oh no, you're not!" Yusuke growled, a fist colliding with Otoni's chin, sending the boy flying against the window of his home. " _Kurama._ " Yusuke hissed urgently, snapping the boy out of his haze. "What the fuck, man. _**Snap out of it.**_ "

Otoni was already aware of the ambush the two Spirit World lackeys were trying on him, but he had been caught by surprise at just how _strong_ the Spirit Detective's energy was. Just one punch, really. Ridiculous really, but he was glad the lore's about him were true. "Nice."

A stray vine covered Shuuichi's eyes, and in between the exposed parts, he eyed the scene. Otoni was enveloped in the intense spirit energy of Yusuke's Spirit Gun, un-seeable from its intensity. The light from the Spirit Gun flashed brighter, until the light began to dissipate and fade. The dark wisps of energy consumed the light, erasing all traces of the Spirit Gun energy as if it had never been there in the first place. A grinning Otoni emerged from the show of lights, unharmed.

"… What the fuck..?"

Yusuke blabbered, fingers still poised in his Spirit Gun stance.

Looking back at Yusuke, Otoni gave the Spirit Detective an impressed nod. "You're strong like they say, Spirit Detective. You're better than the last one."

… That rubbed Shuuichi the wrong way.

Yusuke however, spoke first. "Oh? Gee, thanks." The stubborn teen said cheekily, making his way slowly towards them from across the street. "Don't know the guy, and don't care. You must be real old. Cuz I've been told it's been about two decades or so since the last one."

"Yes. We are particularly interested in your heritage. You're not a Mazoku, yet you hold faint demonic energy…"

Otoni shrugged. "I'm just a lowly demon from Demon World. Why oh why, would Spirit World be interested in little old me?"

"Cut the crap kid." Yusuke spat, his already thin patience- thinner. "We know damn well you're the reason weird's shit happening with Remi. You aint got no visa to be here, and Spirit World happens to not have any files on her, and _your files happen to not say anything besides basic ass info- Dude, what do you think we are, stupid?_ "

"Yusuke." Shuuichi warned. He turned back to Otoni. "… That ability of yours is certainly interesting."

"Hn." Otoni snorted.

"It's almost as if you were able to cancel our spirit energy. Dare I even say you've _erased_ it."

Shuuichi blocked the roundhouse kick sent his way. Yusuke was a bit too slow in reaction, but prepped up his Spirit Gun when an urgent shout from Shuuichi made him pause.

" **Don't!** " Shuuichi warned.

Yusuke scoffed, but lowered his Spirit Gun, opting to use his fists instead. "Why would some demon be so close to a human girl, huh? I don't get it." Yusuke shook his head. "You two seem real close, yet I betcha she doesn't even know _what_ you are."

Otoni frowned. He held in a growl threatening to escape.

"Man, she'd be real tight if she found out, Otoni." Yusuke said offhandedly, taking out his cell phone. He flipped it open, to show the flashing red button blinking on the screen. Otoni's eyes narrowed, as his anger began to rise, feeling like it was boiling hot deep inside him.

" _ **MOTHERFUCKER…**_ " Yusuke smirk only widened. Shuuichi stepped forward, placing a hand on Otoni's shoulder.

"Like I said… I'd rather do things the _diplomatic_ way, Dalca-san…"

The raven stood silently for a couple of moments, eyeing the two Spirit World lackeys before his shoulders slumped forward in defeat, turning heel to open his front door, and ushering them inside. He glared down Shuuichi, who had been the last one to enter, with unhidden malice. "You're paying for my window." He said simply. Shuuichi only nodded. "…"

…

The following minutes were spent tensely as the two boys sat on Otoni's couch, the latter having gone to his kitchen to make them some tea. Yusuke sat on the edge of the couch beside Shuuichi, legs crossed and toes impatiently tapping. "Does he really need to do all this hospitality shit. Just minutes ago, we we're trying to kill each other. It's a waste of time."

"Yusuke, regardless of the situation, he's being polite."

"Not like he has much of a choice though."

"Tea's ready." Otoni said as he approached the two, carrying an ornate looking tea cup set and pot. Steam rose from the pot as he poured the two their matcha tea, setting down a pot of sugar and some o'dourves on the coffee table in front of them. "Help yourselves out."

Yusuke eyed them suspiciously as Shuuichi took a sip of his tea, placing one of the snacks in a napkin on his lap.

"Oh relax, I didn't poison them." Otoni rolled his eyes.

"So, you gunna start talking, or what?"

"Yusuke…" Shuuichi shook his head. "I suppose asking questions chronologically would be easier to start with." The redhead offered, with a polite smile. Otoni watched the two of them carefully, before sighing.

"… All I want is for Remi to be safe…"

"…"

"I had no intentions of Spirit World ever learning the truth or getting involved- but I'm tired of this."

"And what is this exactly?" Shuuichi asked softly, waiting.

"… This fucked up situation- the stupid energy stuck in her… If I tell you- it's pretty much sealing my fate."

Shuuichi and Yusuke shared a quick look before the redhead continued. "Is there a threat on your life?" Yusuke looked over at Shuuichi in surprise. When they had agreed to an interrogation, he had an impression it would be intense, and forceful, The tone that he was speaking to him in held none of that.

"I don't care what happens to me." Otoni answered. "But to answer that, yes. It also concerns Remi. Where do I start..?" Shuuichi gave him a small smile, setting down his tea.

"How about stating your name, age, and way in which you arrived in the Human World from the Demon World, firstly. We will continue from thereon."

Otoni nodded. Taking a seat in front of the two, he began. "My name- _my human one at least-_ is Otoni Dalca... My body currently is around seventeen in human years, but I'm much older. Much more than when human kind's first ancestor's started to walk upright. That was a long time ago, so I don't remember exactly…Time didn't flow like it does now…"

" _ **Holy fuck…**_ " Yusuke muttered under his breath, uncrossing his legs.

"… A long time ago, a war broke out in my kin. I had the help of a powerful psychic to lead a coup d'etat, that ended up with the ruler's demon energy being stolen. Not long after that, the Sprit Barrier was created, and the psychic held unto the stolen energy… But he didn't account for the possibility that the energy somehow attached itself to his newborn child."

" _ **Holy FUCK…**_ "

… Holy fuck, _indeed…_

* * *

 _Remi woke up startled, sitting upright. Light sweat rolled down her forehead as she wiped it, chest heaving. She had woken up startled to the feeling of- whatever it was, Remi didn't know. But it was enough to interrupt her nightmare of having to clean a giant mountain of horse poop from her friend Missy's farmhouse, to the creeping feeling of trepidation. The type of chills one got when they were in a dangerous, unknown situation. "…"_

… _She felt on edge. Something felt off in her room, but she didn't know what._

 _Goosebumps crawled across her skin at the cold chill in her room. The wind howled and whistled loudly. Perplexed, Remi got up from her bundles of blankets, to see her balcony window was wide open._

" _Ah, shit!" She cussed under her breath, rushing to pick up the broken shards of ceramic pot. The once mini garden she had been taking care of on her balcony window was now strewn all over the floor in a mess of broken ceramic, potted soil, and destroyed plants. "Dammit, and just when they were starting to look more healthy…" She sighed, going back in her room to get her wastebasket from beneath her study desk. "I'll have to ask Shuuichi if I can save any of them. This sucks!" She clicked her tongue dumping whatever soil and plants she deemed salvageable into the wastebucket._

" _I must've not closed the door all the way shut or something before I went to bed." Remi muttered under her breath. Although her mind was no longer groggy with the haze of sleep, her body still was under its influence as she stumbled towards the bathroom. After a few tries of grasping for the light switch, the bathroom lights finally turned on, and Remi closed the door. Turning the faucet, she pumped the lavender hand soap unto her palms, lathering on a good amount of the rich aromatic foam, before washing her hands, and her face. "I have_ _ **got**_ _to stop drinking hot cocoa before bed…"_

 _Blindly, she grasped for the hand towel, patting her hands then face dry. She opened her eyes, to stare at hers till sleepy looking face on the bathroom vanity mirror…_

…

 _Remi squinted her eyes, leaning closer. She blinked a couple of times, rubbing her left eye before looking at the mirror again…_

 _AT HER YELLOW GREEN LEFT EYE._

…

… _It took Remi a while before panic started to set in, and she scrambled forward, almost pressing her face against the vanity mirror as she desperately tried to rub her eye in disbelief. "_ _ **Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…**_ _" The words were chanted like a mantra as the raven haired girl leaned back finally, hyperventilating. She splashed water in her left eye again, fear increasing when she saw no change. "What the fuck!"Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, but she choked back a sob, not wanting to wake up her family._

… _The color of her left eye was like that creepy stalker guy! Had he given her some weird type of eye infection or something that day at the shrine?! "What is this?!"_

" _What the fuuuck!" She hissed softly. She was silently bawling now, biting her lip desperately to keep the sob from waking up her whole neighborhood. She wanted to scream bloody murder, but Remi merely stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror, somehow trying to wish away the strange eye color her eye had taken. She grasped the sides of the mirror tears streaming down her cheeks as she leaned closer to stare at the offensive eye color. "W-what the hell is going on..?!"_

 _Remi rubbed her eye again. Her vision blurred, and she had to close her eyes from the uncomfortable feeling of her vision going in and out of focus, until she forced her eyes open again._

… _The room swirled around her, rapidly shifting as if it were traveling a great speed. Remi shook, unable to let out a scream as she only stared at her reflection, body taught and rigid in place as her surroundings morphed and oozed like wax on a lit candle. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out. Her eyes burned, the rapidly flitting images and swirls of her melting room made her feel faint and nauseous. Remi blinked, and everything came to a sudden halt._

 _Blurry vision clouded her sight, and with shaking hands, she rubbed her eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes though, At the sight of the strange place she had ended up in. Looking around, she held herself in fear at this unknown place with strange colors. Her left eye throbbed painfully, as she rapidly looked over to this new environment. Pale grey grass, black clouds, purple and orange sky…_

" _Home…" Remi managed to croak. She fell unto her knees, clutching at her now aching head as she groaned in pain. "I-I want to go home!" She was yelling now, bawling. Remi grasped at the strange grass, suddenly coughing as the strong smell of ash invaded her senses. "I want to go home!" A sharp pain in her hands made her let out a gasp."_ **OW!** _"She looked down, confused. "What the hell is this..?" She muttered to herself. In her hands was a large luminescent black scale. Puzzled, Remi examined the strange scale closer. It was huge. She didn't know of any lizards big enough to have a scale like this. In its reflection, Remi looked closer, watching her own reflection look back…_

…

… Remi opened her eyes, staring blankly at the dark ceiling of her bathroom. Groaning, she clutched her head, feeling stickiness on her left side. "Urgh…" Remi sat up. "Did I pass out or something..?" She groaned again, feeling a throbbing pain in her left eye. "That was a weird ass dream." Remi quipped, splaying her hands out to pick herself up, when she paused. Something hard and sharp cut through the skin of her palms, making her scrunch her face in pain.

Fear dripped down through her stomach as she saw the large scale in her hand, soaked in her blood. " **N-No fucking** _ **way…**_ "

* * *

(The Next Day: )

Yusuke burrowed a brow in annoyance. He was sited next to a large pile of papers and books, palms locked unto his chin as he tapped his foot rapidly. They were in the school's library, mulling over the last preparations of their project. The deadline was this Friday, and the two were just eager to be up and done with the stupid thing. "You done daydreaming about nuthin', Remi?"

Said girl jumped, letting out a small yelp. "Huh?!" She blinked, straightening up.

Yusuke's brows raised. "… You ok?"

"Yeah." Remi said, with a shaky smile. "Sorry, where were we again?"

"…" Yusuke shared a deadpanned look, crossing his legs. "Did she sleep alright? You look like you're about to collapse."

"Eh, yeah, I didn't sleep well. Kept waking up." Remi laughed. "Don't worry about it, we're almost done with this- just in time too. The deadline's this Friday."

"You wanna call it a night?"

"? Why?"

"We can finish this tomorrow. You should go home and get some rest."

… Remi suddenly smirked, looking over at Yusuke with a suspicious glint. "Who are you and what have you done with Yusuke?"

"…" Yusuke sweatdropped. "Dork."

Remi laughed at this. "Hey Yusuke, you wanna get something to eat with me? Otoni said he had work today, and Shuuichi said he couldn't come."

Yusuke nodded. "Sure."

…

Yusuke hungrily took a big bite of his burger. They had ended up at a nearby burger joint. Remi sipped her cola, popping some fries into her mouth before she spoke.

"Does Shuuichi have a girlfriend?"

Yusuke nearly choked, thumping his chest. "We're **not** having this fucking girly ass conversation." Remi rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Yusuke." She sighed. "… I'm just asking…"

"…" Yusuke internally groaned… He was **not** cut out for this girly shoujo- _whatever-_ this was. "Not that I know of, no."

"No girls he talks to?"

"Besides mutual friends we share, no."

"… Okay…" A smirk quickly formed on his lips.

"Ooh, he's got you sooo _whipped!_ "

"Drop dead, Yusuke." To her annoyance, Yusuke only winked, suddenly adorning this lovey dovey look as he grasped his hands and sighed dramatically.

"Oooh, Shuuichi-kun!" Yusuke practically screeched in high falsetto. "I wuv you soooooo much! I like you, shooichi-kooon! Marry me, have my babbbiiees!"

" **I'm going to kill you…** " Remi swiped her fork towards the taller boy, narrowly missing his head.

"Bwahahahaha- you've got it so bad for him!" Yusuke said in between bawls of laughter. "It's kinda cute. Half cute. And lame. Actually- mostly lame-"

"Shut up." Yusuke ignored her.

"- I mean, I get why you'd get soo smitten with him- the guy's practically one of those stereotypical prince charming types!" Yusuke's smirked widened even further. "Oh man, this is just _rich!_ "

"Shut up!" Remi yelled, redfaced. "Urgh- _I don't even know why I asked you…_ "

"Well I'm pretty close to him." Yusuke offered cheekily. "But to answer your question- no. Shuuichi's a free man." Yusuke almost teased her again at the sight of a relieved look crossing her face. Briefly, he could understand why Keiko liked to meddle in these sort of things. "… You going to tell him?"

"Oh, okay." Remi said offhandedly. Shrugging as if indifferent. "Not that I'm interested or anything…"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Riiight."

"Anywhooo." Remi drawled out, coughing pointedly. "When are you and Keiko planning on getting married?"

Even though Yusuke wanted to continue teasing her, his mischievous air toned down, and he went on to talk in between bites. "Well, Keiko wants to get married in her second year of college. If it were up to me, we would've been married a long time ago- but she whined about having a career set out before we got married and even thought of having kids." Remi blushed. Keiko was so mature.

"… I can't imagine a mini you running around. That's scary."

Yusuke chuckled. "I've been in love with her for so long…" Remi listened on, no longer paying attention to her food as the raven haired boy continued. "That it just feels right, 'ja know? Like I want to get married, have a bunch of kids, start a family of my own- heck, I sound like some goddam shoujo heroine. But it's how I feel."

' _I didn't know Yusuke could be like this._ ' Remi thought, smiling softly. She admired the look he had as he spoke about Keiko. It held so much endearment and love. "That's so cute and lame, Yusuke. I think I'm going to barf."

"Shut up." The two of them continued their meal, an amiable air between the two of them. Remi sneaks a look at him, amazed at just how easy it was to talk to this rough, troublesome looking guy.

… Just a few months ago, they were practically enemies. Yet here they were now…

… He had helped her that day at the Shrine. Ever since then, she had changed her mind about him. At first, she thought he was a delinquent, but Remi would have never guessed the troublesome Yusuke Urameshi would be one of the kindest souls she had ever met. Remi looked back down at her meal. As she ate, thoughts of Shuuichi filled her mind.

* * *

 **Konnichiwa, I'd like to give a little insight on what will be occurring during the next couple of chapters. This chapter have shed some light on the current Hiei and Kuwabara situation. Kurama and Yusuke have finally confronted Otoni, and against his contract with Faust, he's told the two lackeys of Spirit World about the situation.**

 **The next following two chapters will have more insight on the Forbidden Zone. A major event will also occur.**


	12. Chapter 12 Revelations

**A/N:**

 **ORIGINALLY, I WASN'T GOING TO PUT AN A/N IN THE BEGINING, BUT IT'S COME TO MY AWARENESS SOME UPLOADING ISSUES ARE GOING ON WITH FFNET.**

 **FOR THE LAST DAY, IVE BEEN TRYING TO UPLOAD THIS CHAPTER, UNSUCCESSFULLY. AN ERROR CODE SEEMS TO BE POPPING UP, EVEN IF I TRY UPLOADING A DIFFERENT FILE. IT'S DISHEARTENING, AND I RESORTED TO COPY AND TEXTING THE STORY, WHICH WAS VERY TIME CONSUMING AS I HAD TO GO BACK AND EDIT THE BOLD AND ITALICS IN THE FORMAT I USE.**

 **WELL, WITHOUT FURTHER A DO, HERE IS THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

…

 _All three boys were silent_.

Beads of sweat rolled down Yusuke's temple, as his mind struggled to cope with everything within the last three hours…

"… Okay- so lemme asses this shit we've gone on about for the last three hours…" Yusuke suddenly said, rubbing his temple. Otoni and Kurama waited patiently for him to continue.

"Dragons are real. Remi has their leader's energy trapped in her. You-" He pointed at Otoni.

"Were forced into a contract with a powerful psychic after he helped you turn shit over in your kin- who coincidentally is the previous Spirit Detective _**and**_ Remi's real dad. In order to ' _protect_ ' her from being found out by the dragon leader- real dad brainwashed a random stranger into believing he was her dad and raise her."

Yusuke paused before resuming. "You used up most of your energy to make a seal using some sort of ancient witchery- voodoo shit to make the energy stable and not harm Remi. It's not working so well anymore. To do this, you de-aged from being immortal, essentially living the life of a human. The seal weakened, and caused anomalies in the Spirit Barrier. The Dragon leader sensed his energy, and came hauling ass to take it back. Now you can't fight him cuz you don't have your energy, but decided to tell us after we blackmailed you cuz you don't agree with Remi's real dad. Did I get everything?" Yusuke said, deadpanned. Otoni nodded.

"Pretty much, just forgot about the part where there's different dragon types of my kin, and mine's happen to have a curse put that prevents me from transforming back into my real form. Which is like, the death penalty in dragon terms. Oh, and Faust- that's Remi's biological father- stole her files from Spirit World. I don't have any files on me besides the basic human info because Spirit World doesn't know what's beyond the Edge of Demon World."

Yusuke was quiet for a while before he sighed, crossing his arms. "Don't tell me, cuz things go in, but they never come back out, huh… I've seen and heard my fair shit of BS, but this tops it."

"Well, it's the truth." Otoni answered. "I have no reason to lie, and dragons aren't the only things that live there. Actually, I don't even know- my kin's territory is vast, and I don't know anyone from my kin who has ever crossed beyond it."

"Nah, I know. It's just that with all the different types of demons I've encountered- a dragon is not something I'd expect." Yusuke offered a small grin. "So Dragons exist… What else exists from fairytales that I don't know about besides ogres?"

Otoni smiled at the joke, but answered it anyway. "Well, there's the Fae's- faeries to you humans, Witches, Elves- that's just a few of them." Otoni provided, with mirth. Yusuke's expression was that of shock. "They're nothing like those in the human tales, though. They're malignant, and dangerous."

"Wow…" Yusuke muttered. Kurama, who had been silent up until now, straightened up from his slightly hunched form, setting his cup down.

"… Why is it that you and the previous Detective didn't want Spirit World's involvement?" Kurama asked.

"Well, twenty years ago, Spirit World wasn't as organized and reliable." Otoni said. "It's full of corruption, and it's a major reason why Faust decided to treason Spirit World. I'm sure you've noticed some of it already." Shuuichi and Yusuke nodded, grimly.

"Oh we're well aware alright." Yusuke trailed off, letting out a sigh. "So the last Spirit Detective went rogue and shit, but now you don't agree with his way of handling shit, huh…"

Otoni nodded. His tea, left mostly untouched, had long since grown cold. The raven only briefly looked down towards it, before returning his gaze back to the Spirit Detective and his companion. "I don't know much about Faust's time as the Spirit Detective." He admitted. "When I met him, I didn't even know about there being other worlds. The coup d' etat was successful in getting _him_ as the leader, but it only caused further turmoil in the other families, and they've been fighting over who gets to be the leader."

Shuuichi nodded. "I see."

"So Faust over the years seemed to get darker and twisted in his ideologies, using the excuse of trying to protect the Human World and Remi." Otoni scoffed, angry. "His ways are severely flawed… If it were up to me, I would've prepared her for the danger way sooner than to keep her completely oblivious. But I can't. This damn contract won't let me. I was only able to tell you guys all of this because you threatened to tell Remi, and because of my desire to protect her, I was able to bypass a loophole in the contract and tell you guys."

"Why did you agree to his terms of being Remi's guardian?" Shuuichi asked. "I don't understand how you could agree to his terms, when it seems there is not much for you in the end. And that curse put on you prevents you from using your full powers- why would you decide to give up the energy you had left?"

Otoni shrugged. "I dunno. At first, it was to make sure he didn't use the stolen energy for his own gain, but then when it attached to his daughter, I just changed my mind." Shuuichi noticed the uncomfortable look Otoni started to done. Before he could comment on it, Yusuke had beaten him to it.

"What, you fell in love with her at first sight, or somethin' ?" Yusuke's teasing smirk grew, only to falter, and turn into one of an incredulous surprise as Otoni kept silent.

"Oh. Uh…" Yusuke was flustered, obviously not expecting this. "Really man? Wow…"

Otoni crossed his arms, a little peeved at his obvious embarrassment. "It's not like that, you know…" The raven haired boy said quietly, bashful. "You've heard of the tales of dragons keeping princesses hostage in castles and shit, right?"

Yusuke nodded. Shuuichi was silent once more, listening. "Yeah. Like the fairytales, right?"

"Well, it's not cuz they were in love with the princesses or anything- _at least most of them weren't_ \- but dragons are very obsessive and materialistic. Kinda like hoarders…" Otoni paused, his bashful look increasing by several notches. "So if they happen to come across an object that catches their eye, they'll guard it, and get really possessive and stuff. Well… sometimes, it can be _**people**_ too…"

"…"

…

Shuuichi suddenly burst out in laughter. Both boys looked over at the redhead, surprised at the sudden outburst from the normally calm and collected boy. Getting a hold of himself in between chuckles, he cleared his throat and began to elaborate.

"Actually Yusuke, that's not so unheard of."

"Eh?" The Spirit Detective raised a brow. "Sorry, I'm lost here."

"Fox demons also do something similar. Majority of the time it's stealing objects of value and what not, but stealing people isn't a rarity from time to time. So I understand Otoni's reasoning for choosing to look over Remi… It's not as perverse as you believe, Yusuke. At least not in Otoni's case… Although I can't say the same for fox demons… They're known to steal virgins for a reason…"

Yusuke blinked. "Okay, so you demons are officially messed up in the head…"

Otoni cracked a small smile at Yusuke's words. "I'm not a pedophile, Urameshi. And you're a Mazoku, so you're half messed up too."

Yusuke only snickered. "Whatever, man."

"Anyways, so now I'm trying to find a way to get the energy out of Remi, but _he_ is here, in the Human World."

"The guy who's energy Remi's real dad stole…"

"Yes."

"Kurama- that could've been him." Yusuke stated, leaning forward. Otoni tensed.

"What?"

Shuuichi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Remi has mentioned to Yusuke a couple of times a strange man who has been stalking her. We assumed he was a demon, as he could not set foot on holy grounds the first time he tried to approach her. Unfortunately that is all the information that we know."

"… Can you ask her what he looks like?" Otoni whispered, a grim look crossing his face once more.

"Remi only seems to admit to Yusuke." Kurama said. "It seems that she doesn't trust me."

Otoni smiled. "That's not it at all." He said, almost as if he knew a juicy secret the redhead was unaware of. Yusuke started to grin, catching on at the implication of Otoni's words.

"Hehehehe, _whipped_ I tell you, man…" Yusuke chuckled, slapping his knee.

Kurama rolled his eyes, feigning to not have caught on to their gist. The palm of his hand was placed softly against his lips, hiding the smile behind them. "…" He cleared his throat. "What is his name? Perhaps there is some sort of mention in some of the old legends about him."

Otoni shook his head. "it's difficult to translate my language- I doubt Demon World has any similar to it since it's from the Old World, but I guess the closest word is Basilisk? His name means _'Of the Great Darkness'_. Xhal Nahja." Otoni said. "My language is called _**Yggri**_. I speak a dialect of it called Dragoroi."

"So kin operates on a hierarchy system." Kurama provided. Otoni nodded. "Interesting. I'd like to know more about your people."

"So…" Yusuke starched, getting up. "As much as I'd like to continue with our little twenty questions- I think we should stop it here for today. It's a boat load of shit to take in just one day, honestly."

Kurama stood up, bowing towards Otoni. "Thank you for your hospitality." Otoni just quirked a brow up quickly, his poker face back.

"Well, it wasn't much of a choice at first." This earned another snicker from Yusuke. As Kurama apologized for their behavior. "I do have a request, though." Yusuke and Shuuichi nodded. "… Please don't get Spirit World involved. As in whoever is the current ruler or whatever. They'll just meddle. A long time ago, the ruler of Spirit World tried to take over the Demon World and gain access to the Forbidden Zone. That almost ended in catastrophe for all of the World's, and a major reason why the Barrier was put up in the first place."

"And don't tell Remi- about Demons existing, or any shit really. Just for now, though. She's not ready to know about all this. I fear she'll only go crazy or something, I don't know… As unaware as she is about anything occult, she's not oblivious. She notices…" Otoni looked over at Yusuke. "We saw you that day you killed those two demons in the Human World, by the way. The one's that killed a woman…"

Yusuke winced. He didn't even have to look at Kurama to know he was being glared at harshly. "Well shit…"

"…"

"…"

Taking a few steps forward, Yusuke let out a sigh. Otoni watched in mild amusement as the Spirit Detective extended out a hand, staring at him directly in the eyes. "Okay."

"…" A frown was placed on Kurama's lips. "Just a moment, Yusuke."

"I can have your word on it, right?" Otoni tested. Kurama's words had gone heard, but ignored.

"Do I look like a liar?" Otoni smirked. Yusuke definitely looked like a man of his word, that Otoni was sure of.

"No."

"Then it's settled. So, is this like some kind of contract you told me you dragons do? Like do I have to cut my wrists in some weird ritual Goth shit and give it to you or somethin'?"

Otoni burst out in a laugh. "Kinky, much? It doesn't work that way like in the movies, hahaha."

"Hehe- yeah? Seriously though, this'll be between us. They won't know a thing. We're gunna go now. Good to know we're in business." Yusuke said cheekily, turning to leave. Kurama followed as well, before Yusuke looked back over his shoulder with a devious look. "Oh, and Otoni?"

Said boy got up. He was starting to place all the cups and the pitcher on the tray as he raised a brow at Yusuke. "Yeah?"

"I never recorded you in the first place." He grin widened like a Cheshire's cat. " _Later_." Yusuke gave out a slight wave as the two of them exited.

"…" Otoni stared on. He let out a huff with shaking shoulders as a laugh erupted from, slowly gaining in volume. Otoni clicked his tongue, looking towards the door.

" **Motherfucker** …" He muttered, grabbing his cold tea. His dark energy clouded his cup for a couple of seconds, before it dissipated, and hot steam rolled off the top of his tea. Otoni drank the whole tea, steaming hot in one gulp.

* * *

Immediately, Kurama voiced his displacement to the Spirit Detective once they were far enough away from Otoni's place..

"You're oddly trusting, Yusuke." He commented.

Said boy didn't look at him, merely looking ahead of the path they walked on. "You saw the look he got when I threatened to show Remi the recording, right?" Kurama only nodded. "Regardless of whatever plot he and Remi's dad had going on, he was quick to betray the guy…" Yusuke glanced over at him. "… Because it bothered him more what Remi'd think of him if she found out he's been keeping somethin' from her… That's why I'm not gunna tell Jr..."

"… You're aware you could get killed for this-" Yusuke shrugged.

"Honestly- I can kind of understand why that Faust guy betrayed Spirit World." Kurama looked at him. Yusuke was quiet for a bit, before continuing on. "… All the corrupt shit, the racism against demons, the power struggle- I don't trust them either. Plus, you saw all the stuff the guy had. He's got framed pictures of the two of them. He's obviously assimilated to life here. I doubt he's going anywhere, and you heard what he said- about the attachment."

"Don't do something reckless…" Kurama whispered. "… I will comply with you on not letting them know- but if they find out somehow-"

Yusuke grinned. "I know. Aaaand I don't care." Yusuke walked ahead of him. Kurama only shook his head, matching his pace with the Spirit Detectives.

 _'Typical Yusuke…'_

 _ **BZZzzt**_.

"Huh, Well what'cha know, it's Pacifier Breath calling." Yusuke said as he dug in his pocket for the communicator. "Well, well- you remembered us!"

Koenma Jr. rolled his eyes impatiently. His chubby cheeks were puffed out in irritation as he rambled. " _There's no time for your shenanigans, Yusuke!_ " Yusuke leaned back a bit.

"Woah, what's got your diapers in a twist?" Kurama leaned closer.

"Is there something amiss?"

" _Yes!"_ Koenma hissed. _"Our little anomaly girl-"_ Kurama and Yusuke's demeanor changed, suddenly serious.

"- Shit, is she okay?"

"What happened?"

Koenma Jr. pinched his temple _. "When I put you two to befriend and shadow her, I meant it constantly. Sayori- the informant I sent to observe the ever moving anomaly just let me know a huge amount of energy was registered in the Rosario Residence!"_

Yusuke raised a brow. "Who? Anyways, she's okay right?"

 _"I don't know, that's what I sent you two to do!"_

"Calm down!" Yusuke was starting to get annoyed. "We can't babysit her 24/7, stupid. She'd notice something would be up, making it easier for her to figure shit out, duh!"

"I had a tracker plant on her."

Yusuke blinked. He looked at the redhead with a surprised look. "What? How'd'ja manage to do that without being noticed?"

"During our stay in Takeda, I planted a seed that is able to track her Spirit energy, and any other energy around her that isn't human. Although I only wish I had done something it sooner- it would have been able to identify the demon that attacked her at the Shrine."

Yusuke sighed. "You think the energy became unstable or something?" Yusuke voiced out, his mind grasping again everything that Otoni had told them earlier about the seal he had put on her to stop something like this from happening. Kurama seemed to be thinking the same thing, although he didn't show it. Through the communicator, Koenma Jr. kept on talking, unaware the two had stopped listening.

"- You two need to get to her now and see what' going on! Sayori couldn't get any closer- there's some sort of barrier preventing her from getting through."

"… Send her back."

Kurama looked over at Yusuke in surprise. "?"

"- We'll get her to come and talk to us, since your informant probably can't get closer because the energy probably will register her as being a threat or something…" Kurama sweat dropped at the flaw in Yusuke's lie. The redhead was aware of the implications in Yusuke's words.

' _Let them know as little as possible.'_

"…"

"Alright. I'll have Sayori leave, but make sure the Rosario girl is unharmed, as well as any other civilians near her. The energy she gave out was huge. Sayori tells me it feels exactly like the anomaly shift in the Spirit Barrier." Yusuke whistled. "On it." He closed shut the communicator.

"Let's just hope no demons start popping out like cockroaches in her house, now." Yusuke said as they sprinted off.

* * *

Remi stared…

…. And stared.

She hadn't blinked- no way that she would dare to do so after what had happened just minutes prior. A wad of toilet paper was under her nose, trying to stop the steady flow of blood dripping down her nostrils. Her eyes were bloodshot and felt dry, but Remi didn't dare to blink them.

… She was afraid that if she did, it would happen again.

Her eyes were fixed to a random spot on her ceiling. The only light came from the soft glow of the moon, flooding in through her sheer balcony blinds in patterns of shadows. The room had warmed again after she had closed the balcony doors, but Remi still felt cold…

… What the hell was that..?

It was like she was in her bathroom one moment, then in some weird place the next in a blink of an eye. At least her eye color was back to normal, but Remi was sure her mom would freak at the sight of her bloodshot eyes in the morning. Which would only get worse since the raven doubted she'd be able to get any sleep tonight. "… What the actual fuck…." She muttered, almost as if in a trance-

Remi almost jumped out of her bed at the sound of her ringtone. She hastily opened her cell, not even checking the Caller ID. "… Hello?"

 _"Hey."_ Remi burrowed her brows in confusion at the sound of Yusuke's voice on the other end.

"Yusuke?" Remi quipped, making sure to go out the balcony so that her voice wouldn't carry out. While her parent's and Cecilio's room wasn't in the same area as hers, noise tended to travel far in the absence of other noises late at night. "You do realize how late it is…" She heard Yusuke laugh on the other end, and suddenly his voice sounded distant, as if he had turned to talk to someone else. Sure enough, Remi could hear the soft voice of someone answer Yusuke back, before he spoke again.

 _"Sorry princess, didn't know you had a tight bedtime schedule."_ Remi rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. So, what do you want?"

 _"You up for a walk?"_ Remi raised a brow. Yusuke continued. _"Shuuichi's here. We're gunna go chill for a bit."_

"… You're asking me to go chill with you at _**three in the morning..?**_ "

 _"Yeah."_

"Why?"

 _"Does there need to be a reason? You get to see my awesome face."_ Remi scoffed. Ruffling could be heard, and Yusuke spoke again in a lower tone, mirth coloring his words. _"Aaand you get a chance to see your bewooved Shooichi-kun."_

Remi blushed. "Shut up."

 _"… Sooo you coming or what? We're not too far from your place. Unless you chicken or somethin'."_

… Yusuke had the galls to make mocking chirping noises.

"That sounds like you're dying. Fine. Give me a couple of minutes, okay. Meet me at the end of my street... Don't want my folks waking up." Remi said before she pressed end. ":.."

She looked down at her phone for a while, before she shook her head. Gently closing her balcony, Remi rummaged through her drawers to put on whatever she could find. Her keys were on her study desk, and she grabbed for it, pulling up her hair in a messy bun and headband as well as grabbing a sunglass near her jewelry box, before creeping down her house, and out the door.

* * *

Kuwabara grunted as he made his way through the thick foliage. Sweat clung to him and his clothes like an adhesive, the temperature having risen by several degrees even as they were now a couple of miles away from the snow covered mountain. It seemed that the closer they got to it, the hotter it became, and Kuwabara could only helplessly continue behind a seemingly unbothered Hiei. The fire demon didn't look affected by the heat- if he did, he certainly didn't show it. Yet the smaller raven had a strange look in his eyes as they continued on through the forest they were now in.

Kuwabara stopped for a moment, to lean his hands on his knees as Hiei also stopped, looking back.

"Why are you stopping?" Hiei asked. He didn't seem to be annoyed or irritated with him, actually a bit curious over the spiritually attuned teen that seemed to be sweating down a waterfall.

"It's hot."

Hiei looked around. "I don't feel a thing." Kuwabara rolled his eyes.

"You're a fire demon. Of course you'd be fine even if it feels like we're in the depths of hell…". Kuwabara muttered. "This place is weird as fuck. Like it's straight out of a horror movie or something. I mean, what else could exist that Koenma doesn't tell us about? What else is real, huh…" Kuwabara's voice, as grave and rough as it usually was, sounded so small and faint. "Hiei, when we find the thing, what the hell are we going to do then?"

"Tch." Hiei scoffed, ignoring him.

"Hiei, we can't just go barging in their territory, gung ho. We don't know what they're capable of- and if the burnt field is any indication, I don't think they're the real friendly sort. We should focus on finding a way to contact Spirit World, and tell them what we saw."

"I need to know why that thing looks like my Darkness Flame."

"That's not a priority. Not **_ours._** " Kuwabara said hotly.

"Then I will go by myself." Hiei said simply. "You can try to find your way back."

"You're stupidly stubborn. I don't think letting those things know we're here is a good idea. And I don't think they're gunna be happy about seeing us."

"Dragons aren't supposed to exist." Hiei hissed.

"I get that, but before all of this- I thought _**demons**_ weren't supposed to exist. Whatever they are, we shouldn't bother them. You're letting your curiosity make you stupid." Kuwabara commented. "You're gonna get killed if you do. Both of us…" Kuwabara chastised. "If Kurama we're here, he'd say it's a foolish thing to do."

"The anomaly was located here for a reason…" Hiei answered. "The fox holds no power over me. Neither do you, buffoon."

"Whatever , man. I'm not getting killed because of your stupidness." It was then suddenly that Kuwabara remembered Hiei could read thoughts. "Hey! Why don't you try to do that weird shit, and look in their heads or something? That'll be much safer, right?"

Hiei looked at him, peeved. "Don't you think I've tried already?" Hiei rolled his eyes. "It's cloudy."

"EH?"

"Their minds." Hiei elaborated. "I can't grasp it. The little I can pick up is in a language I don't know- but it isn't a stable connection." Kuwabara blinked.

"Maybe the weird energy here is acting like some sort of interference, like radio jammers or something."

"It's nauseating."

"Yeah." Kuwabara agreed. The taller teen suddenly went rigid, face and muscles taught. "What the hell is that." The tall ginger haired boy suddenly raised a hand up to stop Hiei. "You hear that?"

Hiei focused. No sound permeated their surroundings. The strange energy seemed to make his senses dull, like the static hum in between channels. "I don't hear anything."

"Seriously, listen!" Kuwabara's voice dropped to a whisper, eyeing around them nervously. "It sounds like someone's here…"

"Is this an auditory hallucination?" Hiei teased. "My senses are _far_ superior to yours- I would have picked up on any noise far before your puny human ears-"

"- Urgh! No! I'm not talking about an actual noise, stupid! I can hear something- like in my mind! You can't hear it?" Hiei looked at him strangely.

"… No." Hiei rolled his eyes in annoyance, before quickly deducing that he couldn't sense anything nearby besides some of those strange looking animals. "Nothing but forest animals."

"Ugh, can't you hear the singing?!"

Hiei paused. He looked Kuwabara over with a strange look. "I hear no singing, buffoon."

"…" Kuwabara winced, clutching his head. "It's so loud!" He groaned. "It sounds like a little kid. But I can't make out the words."

"I don't hear anything." Hiei said once more, frowning.

"Maybe it's a spiritual thingy, I dunno… But it's creepy, and loud!"

"Just ignore it."

Kuwabara scoffed. "Yeah, easy for you to say." The tall ginger commented, running a hand through his hair as he hunched over in a crouched position. "I'm telling you I hear something. What if this place's weird energy is messing up with our senses? Like you can't use your freaky telepathy, and with me- it's my psychic senses on the fritz."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Just your paranoia." Hiei looked back at Kuwabara briefly, before starting their track onwards the mountains once more.

"Yeah, cuz the _dragon_ is also part of my paranoia…" He muttered.

…

… It felt like hours had passed by before they made it to the beginnings of the jagged mountains, but Kuwabara could only guess it had been just a little over a 30 minutes. Time didn't seem to flow the same, at least by what he was noticing whenever he glanced down at his wrist watch. Since their last argument, Hiei hadn't spoken to him, not that Kuwabara wanted to hear anything he had to say. He preferred the awkward silence than insults from the spiky haired shorty.

The singing had stopped as soon as they approached the mountains, but he still felt on edge with how sick the strange energy made him feel. Kuwabara was also practically pouring out sweat now, his body felt just gross, and he had his pants rolled up to his knees, only donning his tank top. His jacket was tied sloppily on his waist, and somehow it only made him feel hotter. Kuwabara groggily glanced over at Hiei. "Hey."

Hiei said nothing, only slightly turning his face to the side in acknowledgement. "…"

"I feel like I'm about to barf my soul out. I need to take a breath."

Hiei turned to face him, before curling a lip upwards in disapproval. "Tch. Humans and their frail, weak bodies… Fine."

As soon as Hiei said that, Kuwabara collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. "It's so dam hot…"

Hiei looked away, choosing to crouch down. "Go over to the damn shade under that tree, idiot… Chooses to fall over in exhaustion where the heat is the worst, Heh…" Kuwabara rolled his eyes, dragging himself towards the tree.

"Shattup." Kuwabara let out a sigh, pressing his sweaty back against the ugly boils of the tree bark. He didn't even care anymore.

"It's silent."

Kuwabara paused. His ears strained to hear anything, but nothing other than the occasional chatter of some wild animals, and the wind howling against the jagged mountains. Kuwabara raised a brow. "Weird…" He muttered, wiping some of his sweat off his face with his palms. "That weird lightning cloud is gone, so is the dragon."

"I can still sense them." Hiei said. "Beyond the mountains. There are about two dozen of them." Kuwabara let out a curse.

 _"That many?!"_

Hiei nodded. "They don't appear to be doing anything, just standing in a circle."

"What the fuck?" Kuwabara shook his head. "That's not weird at all…"

"… We'll observe them for now."

"…" Kuwabara stopped moving, whipping his head towards the short demon with narrowed eyes. "That's our plan." Kuwabara said, incredulous. "What a shit plan-"

Hiei shot him an icy glare. "- What do you suppose we do, idiot?! Koenma sent us to investigate the location of the anomaly. We found it, and it took us here, in a part of Demon World no one has been able to go in without coming out. If anything- _**all unknown species, mind you**_ \- ends up making their way through the anomaly- may your human god forbid that an anomaly rift doesn't open up that leads them straight to your World."

"…" Kuwabara sighed, defeated. "… You're right. That'd be like D-day…. But I don't know man; I don't feel that this is right. Like if we're some prey in the predators home, you know?"

Hiei rolled his eyes at this. "That's your human fear." The fire demon said simply.

"Hey- I don't hear the singing anymore."

"You said it sounded like a child?"

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah. Real high pitched."

"There's a younger one among them. A girl."

"Oh." Kuwabara blinked. "You think I sensed her somehow or something?"

"I don't know." Hiei shrugged. "Let's go. We will find a vantage point to observe them without them being none the wiser, instead of confronting them. Does that sound good to you?" Hiei mocked.

Kuwabara grumbled under his breath, getting up to trail behind Hiei as the made their trek onwards.

* * *

Yusuke couldn't help to let out a slight chuckle at the messiness that was the short raven haired girl approaching them. Large black hoodie with the nirvana icon, gray sweatpants, white ankle high converse with untied shoelaces, and a pink headband just barely holding up a sloppy looking bun. Yusuke let his eyes trail to the dark sunglasses Remi wore that seemed to want to consume her face. "Damn. I almost don't want to ask." He joked, earning a slight jab of the elbow from Shuuichi.

Remi ignored him, standing in front of the two boys with a poker face. "Hi Shuuichi." She turned her head slightly towards Yusuke's direction. "Asswipe." Yusuke chuckled again, earning a look from the redhead.

"I tried stopping this one from bothering you so late-"

' _Smooth liar as always…'_ Yusuke thought. "- I hope you don't mind." Shuuichi apologized with a small smile.

Yusuke grinned, giving Remi a secretive look that only made the raven nervous. "Don't get too excited though- Shuuichi's not showing us his dungeon full of chains or anything tonight."

" **I will erase your face, asswipe**."

… Yusuke only snickered some more at this.

"So…" Remi drawled, looking at the two boys expectantly. "What little night time adventure you guys have planned? Oh, and I am expecting to be treated to some good food worthy for the night time munchies, just so you know."

"Alright, alright, I didn't say you could _mooch_ off'a me, now…"

Shuuichi chuckled, turning slightly to lead the way. "Of course."

They walked shoulder to shoulder, the three of them chatting amiably, with Yusuke every so often poking fun at the raven. She found it nice, actually. She'd never done something like this before- sneak out so late in the night to hang out.

"So…" Yusuke's voice caught her attention. She looked over to him.

"Yeah?"

Yusuke nudged his chin towards her sunglasses. "What's with that?"

"Nothing." She lied, shrugging. My eyes just are a little sensitive right now.

Yusuke raised a brow. Clearly, he didn't buy it. "I dunno, you might be mistaken for some kind of creep with those on at this time. Take them off."

"No."

"Why not? You got pink eye or somethin'?"

"Let her be, Yusuke." Shuuichi said, exasperated.

"…" Remi stopped walking. The boys stopped a few paces earlier, looking back at her.

"?"

She was shaking a bit, as she took a deep breath. With slow hands, she took off her sunglasses. The boys looked on in silence, although Shuuichi let out an audible gasp while Yusuke let out an _'Oh fuck'_ when Remi opened her eyes. "… This is why…"

"Remi." Shuuichi whispered, concern laced in his tone. Quickly he was in front of her, fingers grasped on her chin as he tilted her face, examining her eyes. "What happened?"

"…" Remi was quiet. She averted her gaze from Shuuichi's imploring green orbs. She was embarrassed. Why the hell did she do that? "… Can we grab something to eat first? It's a long story…"

…

After stopping by a 24 hour convenience store a few avenues away, the trio had settled in a small park by the swing sets, a large assortment of snacks ready at their disposal. Shuuichi sat on the swing to the right of Remi, while Yusuke was to her left, swinging softly as they waited for Remi to speak.

Remi was staring at her shoes, contemplating what the hell had possessed her to show them her eyes, or tell them what had happened. Regardless of her conflicting feelings, she started to speak.

"So, I've told you two a bit about some of the weird shit that's been going on…" Both boys' ears perked up. "… I don't know what's real anymore…"

Yusuke frowned. "How so?"

"Well." Remi trailed off. "I woke up to go to the bathroom, and find one of my fucking eyes glowing gold. Like some kind of freaky shit, okay? Then when I tried to wash and rub my eyes, and stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror to see if I was just sleepy and hallucinating it or something, I was in another fucking place. _Like, it looked straight out of a horror movie or something!_ "

"You woke up in another place?" Yusuke said slowly.

"NO- _**like I stared at my own reflection and in the blink of an eye, I was in some weird place with fucked up greenery. It felt so real…**_ " Remi shook. She gripped the chains of the swing tighter. "I can still smell it- it smelled like burnt meat. The place looked like some forest fire had happened or something." Remi dug a hand in her hoodie pocket. "When I got back to my bathroom, this was in my hand." She opened her palms, showing the iridescent obsidian scale.

"What the hell is that…?" Yusuke muttered, touching the large scale. He hissed, drawing his hand back in pain. A droplet of blood formed on his now sliced finger.

"That's sharp as fuck!"

"I cut myself with that too. It looks like some kind of lizard scale. It's freaking huge…"

Shuuichi scowled. "…" He grasped the scale carefully. "You found this there?"

"Yeah… I'm not on drugs, okay." Remi said, a bit defensive. "I don't know what I saw, but I know it was real. And remember how I told you sometimes I would get real sick around certain people or places? That place- whatever it was, felt off. Like the creepy stalker guy."

"Woah, woah, woah- I'm sorry, but this is weird as fuck…" Yusuke whispered, more to Shuuichi than to anyone else.

"Tch- you're telling me."

"May I have this?" Shuuichi asked. "I think I may be able to figure out what kind of creature this is."

"… What about the weird place? What the hell happened to my eye? It's like ever since I moved here, the weird shit's gone up like _100 notches!_ And then there's you two- You guys don't find any of this weird at all! I _freaking **TELEPORTED!**_ "

Shuuichi gave a small smile. "It's best if you forget any of that happened, Remi." Shuuichi said as he brushed fingers through his hair, sprinkling a strange dust in front of her with a brief apology. Shuuichi caught her as she slumped forward. Yusuke sighed as he got up.

"Jeez, a little warning next time, Kurama…" Yusuke said, taking out his communicator. After a moment, Koenma Jr. appeared on the screen, a tense look on his baby features.

 _"What's the situation?"_

"Well-" Yusuke started off. "- I think Remi managed to open up a rift between the Worlds in her bathroom. Just normal, you know?" The Spirit Detective said, nonchalantly as he turned the communicator towards Kurama carrying Remi. ""Fox boy had to knock her out. She was asking the _right kind of questions, if you catch my drift._ Did his weird, forget me not dust thingy to erase her memory of tonight- **_buuut_** it doesn't guarantee that it won't happen again."

"…"

… Koenma Jr. started to sweat profusely.

 _"How in the ..?"_ Koenma sputtered. _"How the hell did she manage to do that?! And get back in one piece, not to mention not destroy the entire neighborhood in the process…"_

Yusuke shrugged. "Call it a miracle." He said. "We're taking her back home and scope the place out a bit. Kurama's gunna put the rest of her folks in a deep sleep so that there aren't any more surprises."

 _"Alright."_ Koenma Jr. huffed out. _"I'll see what paperwork I can do- but it will look bad on our part."_ With that, the communicator shut off.

"Shit, this is getting messy as fuck."

The redhead looked over to the Spirit Detective. "We'll have to take to the shadows to avoid being seen. At least she doesn't live too far from here."

"Yeah, but I don't like what she said." Yusuke frowned, looking at the comatose Remi in Kurama's arms. "Do you think- I don't know, it sounds crazy..? But you think she might've actually opened up a portal to the Demon World without knowing? I mean, I've never heard of someone being able to do that just by staring at their own reflection."

"I'm afraid I don't know, Yusuke." Kurama hastened a hand under the groove of her knees, carrying her. "Otoni didn't mention the stolen energy being able to do such a feat. Then again, being surprised in the body foreign to the energy is a bit of a wild card. He wasn't even sure how exactly the energy would manifest eventually."

"We should go." Yusuke said after a while of silence. "The faster we get more info on what happened the better."

Kurama nodded. "Yes."

* * *

(The Next Day: )

Yusuke watched with slight guilt as Remi slumped slowly in her seat for the eighth time during Mr. Iwamoto's class. Her movements seemed sluggish, almost zombie like as the bell rung, and everyone heading out for their next class. With a small sigh, Yusuke leaned over his seat, shaking the girl's shoulders lightly. "Hey." He said lowly under his breath.

Somehow, the stupid Iwamoto hadn't noticed one of his students practically comatose in his class, but now the teacher was eyeing them suspiciously. Another sigh escaped Yusuke's lips. "Ok, c'mon, sleeping beauty." He slung an arm under her arm, heaving the girl up in a swift motion as he grabbed her backpack with the other, making his way out of the classroom. A stern looking Iwamoto stopped him just before reaching the door, however.

 _ **"And Just WHERE do you think you are going with her, delinquent."**_

The corner of Yusuke's lips curled up in annoyance as he glared him down. "I'm taking her to the Nurse's Office, dumbass. Where else?" Mr. Iwamoto's face seemed to steam with anger at this. "Now move!"

"I don't trust a delinquent like you to take one of my star pupils to the Infirmary! I will do it, as I'm the ever so caring teacher!" Iwamoto made move to snatch Remi out of the teen's grasp, but Yusuke pulled back, face contorted in a growl.

 **"Touch her, and I'll break that puny arm of yours…"**

"…"

Yusuke rolled his eyes as he kicked the door open, not bothering the catch it as it slammed behind him leaving a shaking Iwamoto inside.

"Rude…" Yusuke looked down, cracking a smile as Remi glared at him with a smirk. It was playful, much different than her usual look as she shrugged his arm off her, lightly punching his shoulder.

"Ah, You good?"

Remi nodded. "I think so… Just tired as hell for some reason." She yawned. "And my eyes feel like I rubbed them with sandpaper."

"Well it's the flu season." Yusuke pointed out. "You sure you don't need to go to the Nurse? You really don't look so good." He trailed off, suddenly grinning mischievously. "Well, it's your usual."

"…" Remi smiled again, rolling her eyes. The halls were almost empty. Soon, the Hall Monitor would be making rounds to see if there were any stragglers still not in their next class. "… Let's skip school." She said.

"…"

Remi looked back at Yusuke. She had already started walking, and she tilted her head expectantly at him. "Well…"

"Eh?"

"Let's go before the Hall Monitor sees us."

"Right." Yusuke chuckled, joining her. "I'm shocked." He started off, glancing down. "I honestly took you for a goody two shoes. Guess I'm rubbing off on ya, haha." Remi joined in his laugh. Having stopped briefly to their lockers, they donned their jackets to ward off the chilled air. They were heading down the hall towards the main school entrance, an air of ease around them.

"Whatever, Yusuke."

"Whatever?" Yusuke scoffed, suddenly taking on a nervous smile. "Ah shit." He muttered under his breath, grabbing her shoulder and dropping down the corner of the wall, just before they would turn to open the doors to the outside. Remi, having been pulled down rather roughly by Yusuke, was about to yell at him, when Yusuke pressed a finger to his lips in a sign to be quiet.

"What?" Remi whispered back.

"Keiko's the damn Hall Monitor today." Remi cringed.

"Oh." Remi peered a bit over the corner to see that indeed Keiko was walking down the other adjacent Hall heading towards their direction. "She's going to be majorly pissed if she finds out you were trying to play hooky, huh?" Yusuke could only nod. Looking around, Remi noticed the window just a few paces behind them and an idea popped in her head. "We can wait for her to pass by out the window, and sneak out?" She suggested.

Yusuke looked at her in surprise, having not expected her to say something like that. His eyebrows rose when he saw her walk towards the locked window and take out a hair pin. A tuff of bangs curled up awkwardly after being set free from the metal hair contraption of a prison, sticking up like an antenna. Tugging the window once, she smirked when it didn't budge, and forced the pin to jiggle in the corners of the window pane, until a soft click could be heard, and the window slid open with ease. "… Why do I get the feeling you've done this before..?"

Remi stuck her tongue out with a mischievous glint in her eyes, a foot already out the window as she looked back at Yusuke. "Otoni and I would sneak out of school when we were kids. We'd always be back in time for roll call after recess, though. **Now come with me if you want to _live_.** " She joked, faking an accent towards the end.

Yusuke only shook his head, following her out the window as they ducked for a moment, holding in their laugh.

Keiko paused at the open window. "Who the hell would leave this open, it's so cold out." She said, shaking her head as she closed it shut, and resumed her walk through the Halls.

…

Remi and Yusuke bolted, running out of school grounds, all the while bursting out in maniacal laughter. So busy in their shenanigans, they were unaware of the tall cloaked figure they passed by, eyes glowing yellow green as it looked on at them.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Another semi long chapter out for you guys! The action is slowly starting to pick up, so expect to see more of Hiei and Kuwabara!**

 **Remi seems to be experiencing some strange things, and Otoni has revealed Faust's master plan, betraying him and their contract through a slight loophole!**

 **It's been an info packed chapter, but please bear with it until the real action starts to pick up! All this information is important to know first, as all the puzzles are connected together.**

 **Thank you so much to those that continue to follow this tory, and welcome to any new fans of Heart of Thorns!**

 **Please follow if you like, and leave a comment on any theories, or input you get from this chapter, or leave a pm. I always like to read other people's thoughts, as well as analyze theories!**

 **Ja ne! 3**


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